Rebels lose 4 players

Steve Guiremand

Friday, July 7, 2000 | 10:37 a.m.

UNLV football coach John Robinson left for a vacation in Hawaii on Thursday.

When he returns in a few weeks, he'll need to find replacements for three potential starters in a hurry.

Wide receiver/kick returner Duane James, tailback Raymont Skaggs and sophomore offensive tackle Marquez Ologbosele have departed the team and will not play for the Rebels this fall.

The 5-foot-10 James, projected as a starter at wide receiver, had been selected a preseason all-Mountain West Conference player as a kick returner by several football publications this summer. He averaged 23.5 yards on 17 kick returns last season, and also had a 43-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second half of UNLV's 35-32 upset of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyo.

However, James, nicknamed "Toy Train," apparently had trouble engineering his way to the classroom this past spring and dropped out of school.

Skaggs, a highly touted transfer from Florida State who was competing for the starting tailback job with seniors Jeremi Rudolph and Kevin Brown, also struggled academically and is ineligible to compete this fall.

The 6-7, 325-pound Ologbosele, a tackle with impressive size and potential, quit because of what the school termed "personal reasons."

Meanwhile, defensive lineman Saeed Abdul-Malik, expected to provide valuable depth on the defensive line, has decided to quit football and concentrate on academics. Abdul-Malik had six tackles in five games last season.

UNLV opens its season on Sept. 9 at Iowa State.