Welcome to the eighth post in our twelve-part recruiting breakdown series. Today will look at the #8 team in our rankings, Nevada. The Wolf Pack made better gains on the recruiting trail than they did on the field this past season. To learn more about their new players, continue scrolling.
The Skinny:
- Recruits signed: 44
- High school: 22
- Junior College: 4
- Transfers: 18
- Offensive: 22
- Defensive: 20
- Athlete: 2
- Number of 3-stars per 247 rankings: 21
- Players with a rating over 85: 5
- Players with a rating over 82: 14
- Breakdown by state (excluding transfers):
- California: 8
- Nevada: 8
- Washington: 4
- Texas: 2
- Colorado: 1
- Oregon: 1
- 247 Rankings (subject to change)
- Recruiting: 89
- Transfer: 136
- Overall: 103
High School Players:
QB Reeve Slone
Stand-out skills:
- Big arm talent, capable of throwing bombs with ease
- Capable runner when scrambling and on designed runs
- Displays nice accuracy on throws to the sideline
- A gamer on the field who gives max effort to make a play
RB Bronwyn Rios
Stand-out skills:
- Shifty back who does well making the first player miss
- Hits his top speed in the open field, creating distance from defenders
- Ability to catch out of the backfield adds another layer to his offensive game
- Low center of gravity makes him tough to tackle
WR Isaiah Williams
Stand-out skills:
- Adept at double moves and chopping down his strides to confuse defenders
- Adjusts his routes to catch the ball in stride
- Great at piling up yards after the catch
- Used in short and long routes, making him more of a well-rounded WR
WR Joe Stimpson
Stand-out skills:
- Blazing speed, outrunning defenders with ease
- Great job making difficult catches with consistency
- Versatile, able to line up at outside, in the slot, running back, and returner
- Changes direction smoothly, adding another element to evade tackles
WR Amari Nash
Stand-out skills:
- Tracks the ball well on deep routes
- At his best with the ball in his hands near the line of scrimmage, where he can make people miss with his agility and change of direction in traffic
- Has a knack for creating explosive plays with his running after the catch
- Relaible hands on jumps balls
WR Perrion Williams
Stand-out skills:
- Dangerous after the catch with his ability to avoid tackles and fight for extra yards
- Creates space from defensive backs with his releases at the line of scrimmage
- As impactful on quick screens and slants as he is on deep passes down the sideline
- Plus hands, going all out on passes and making several difficult catches
WR Coy Jones
Stand-out
skills:
- Great at jumping over defensive backs to come down with the ball
- Excels at evading tackles after the catch, bouncing off defenders for extra yards
- Noticable straight-line speed, both as a WR and in the return game
- Sees the field well, finding the open lanes and juking the defense
TE Darren Schmitt
Stand-out skills:
- Solid route-runner, giving him an advantage over the defense
- Long arms make for a wide catch radius on passes over the middle of the field
- Great at lowering his shoulder after the catch to gain additional yards
- Does a nice job slipping off the line to get open for easy gains
OL Colton Hogge
Stand-out skills:
- Pancakes defenders on the regular due to his strength and determination
- Active as soon as the ball is snapped and mobile enough to be out in front of plays as a blocker
- Constantly in a great position and initiates contact before his man can
- Run-blocking ability should make him an ideal guard on the left side
OL Max Zuro
Stand-out skills:
- Springs into position after the snap, staying low in his stance to maintain lower body strength
- Strong footwork, especially in pass protection, moving around the pocket
- Keeps his eyes moving to adjust to the defense, often making multiple blocks on a play
- Overpowers defenders, not giving up ground due to his sound technique
OL Terrence Johnson
Stand-out skills:
- Aggressive at the point of attack, resetting the line of scrimmage
- Plays to the whistle, taking his man completely out of plays
- Excels in run-blocking, where his lower-body strength comes into play
- Agile on his feet, moves around with little issue
DL Pita Takafua
Stand-out skills:
- Large wingspan helps him wrap up on quarterbacks, preventing them from escaping
- Able to fight off double teams and cause disruption in the backfield
- Solid at stopping the run, chasing down RBs in the backfield
- Springs into action as soon as the ball is snapped
DL Jeremiah Nonu
Stand-out skills:
- High-motor player who gives max effort on every snap
- A violent tackler who pulls players to the ground after he wraps them up
- Overpowers offensive linemen and regularly fights through double teams
- Experience on both sides of the ball aids him in play recognition
DL Sam Davidson
Stand-out skills:
- Gets into the backfield with ease, consistently winning his matchups
- Keeps his hands active at the line of scrimmage to knock down passes
- Utilizes swim moves very well when rushing
- Ideal combination of length, power, and speed
DE Matthew Perez
Stand-out skills:
- Quick off the snap to spring into action
- Does whatever he can to get his hands on the quarterback and bring them down for a sack
- All-out effort on every play allows him to make an impact however he can
- Abililty to play multiple positions on the defensive line
EDGE Tanner Gray
Stand-out skills:
- Tremendous athlete that can play all over the field
- Length off the edge allows him to get a step or two on blockers to get into the backfield
- Recognizes plays and flocks to the ball to blow up the offense
- Energetic player who consistently finishes plays
LB Caleb Mooring
Stand-out skills:
- Plus instincts and takes great angles to the ball
- Physical tackler who wraps up well in the open field
- Great game speed, especially when closing in for a hit
- At his best in run support near the line of scrimmage
LB Jaxon Cannida
Stand-out skills:
- Athletic linebacker who can cover a lot of the field on defense
- Well-rounded, able to attack the run, drop back into coverage, or blitz off the edge
- Solid tackler on the run
- Great instincts as he watches plays develop
DB Joey Thomas III
Stand-out skills:
- Uses his length well to get his hands on passes and compete with WRs on jump balls
- Combines play recognition with strong ball-tracking skills
- Fluid hip movement and game speed, even with his size
- Solid tackling ability in the open field
DB Mekai Smith
Stand-out skills:
- Sees the field well as he moves around from his time at running back
- Great game speed to keep up with receivers as they run routes
- Initiates contact, which will bode well when it comes to tackling
- Making the full-time switch to defense, where his athleticism will be utilized well
ATH Deven Vigue
Stand-out skills:
- Breakaway speed in the open field
- Explosive play potential on even down with his evasiveness
- Hard to bring down with just one player while on the run
- Knowledge of offensive routes and the ability to make decisions based on defensive alignments from his time as a quarterback
ATH Evan Williams
Stand-out skills:
- Big-play threat on offense as a deep play receiver
- Ideally used getting touches in space, on screens, or passes to the flat
- Breaks tackles due to his shiftiness and balance
- Able to add another layer to his game as a punt returner who sees the field well
Team Writer Thoughts:
Jeff Choate loves to go local when it comes to recruitment, and that trend continued this year. The wide receiver room was a huge hole that needed to be filled, and I like the additions Nevada made in that department in both the portal and high schoolers. Nevada took a hit in special teams as well, so replenishing that area will be a plus for 2026. It’s another well-balanced class that hits on local recruiting and should give Nevada a nice competitive edge in a new Mountain West.
Quick Hits:
(high school players only)
Headliner(s):
Mike: Williams, P.
Dom: Slone, Williams, P.
Prominent Talent:
Mike: Thomas III, Gray, Williams, E.
Dom: Davidson, Thomas III, Slone
Favorite Recruit(s):
Mike: Thomas III, Mooring
Dom: Slone, Hogge, Williams, P., Williams, E.
Sleeper Recruit(s):
Mike: Slone, Stimpson
Dom: Smith, Perez
Best unit(s):
Mike: Wide Receiver, Defensive Line
Dom: Wide receiver, defensive backs
Transfer Players:
Here is the list of transfer players Nevada signed. We are moving away from commenting on their film, as it’s often many years outdated by this point, and frankly, it’s become too time-consuming. Jack is doing a tremendous job commenting on transfer players in his transfer tracker. Instead, this section will comment on the class as a whole in terms of attempting to address needs and overall philosophy.
QB Luke Duncan
RB Janerious Jackson
WR Gary Givens III
WR Jaceon Doss
WR Damien Morgan
WR Donnie Cheers
TE Benjamin Wheeler
OL Ethan Newman
OL Jacob Norcross
OL Jose Balver-Mendoza
OL James Gillespie
DL Brandon Amaniampong
DL Chris Kalu
LB Kauie Maluia
LB Jeremy Naborne
LB Poasa Utu
DB Zion Jones
DB Larry Turner-Gooden
DB Jaylen Webb
DB Selman Bridges
DB Josh Scott
DB. Zyhaire Lewis
Nevada’s coaching staff had to bring in a high number of transfer players yet again. Such is the life of a struggling Group of 6 program that loses players to the portal each year. The difference this offseason is that they were able to keep several key players in addition to adding more, which is hopefully a step towards roster stability. After moving forward with their young quarterback, they are surrounding him with veteran wide receivers and offensive linemen through the portal to give him weapons and protection, which is a smart move. Defensively, there was a major emphasis on adding experienced defensive backs. It was a smart philosophy for adding players this time around.
Summary:
That’s the lowdown on Nevada’s 2026 recruiting class. While it checks in as a middle-of-the-pack class compared to the other teams reviewed in this exercise, that’s big for the Wolf Pack because they were near the bottom of the rankings on the field. There are a handful of players who are high on potential and could even make an impact next season. Keeping key players, turning in a top-100 high school class, and adding transfers at important positions check off a lot of boxes for Nevada this offseason. Overall, it’s a win on paper and hopefully will lead to more wins on the field in 2026.
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