Nero to play for Rebels

Friday, July 21, 2000 | 9:55 a.m.

UNLV, which lost potential starting wide receiver Duane James due to academic considerations recently, picked up a key Pac-10 transfer to help fill his spot. Bobby Nero (6-1, 181), who caught three passes for 63 yards for Oregon against Colorado in the 1998 Aloha Bowl, has decided to enroll at UNLV and will be eligible to play for the Rebels this season.

Nero had 10 catches for 137 yards and one touchdown as a redshirt freshman for the Ducks in 1998. But he struggled academically the following semester and enrolled at Chaffey Junior College last fall where he did not play while earning his associate's degree.

The Upland (Calif.) High School product, who was also one of the state's top sprinters as a senior, was rated the eighth best wide receiver on the West Coast by SuperPrep Magazine after accumulating 1,500 all-purpose yards as a senior. He caught 48 passes for 895 yards and 14 touchdowns that year and also averaged 27.0 yards per kickoff.

Oregon's media guide called Nero "one of the team's fastest deep threats." He has two years of eligibility remaining.

John Robinson's squad also is expected to have another quarterback on its roster when fall camp begins on Aug. 13. Kurt Nantkes (6-4, 215), who helped guide Hinkley High School in Aurora, Colo., to the state 4-A title in 1997, has informed Robinson he will enroll this fall.

Nantkes received some recruiting interest from Nebraska, Air Force and Colorado State before deciding to give professional baseball a try. He will be a 21-year-old walk-on freshmen this fall. Nantkes will likely battle sophomore Matt Ray and senior Jason Vaughan for the backup quarterback spot behind sophomore USC transfer Jason Thomas. By Steve Guiremand