Newcomer is well-schooled

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2002 | 9:28 a.m.

Senior offensive lineman Carlos Acosta began practice at his fourth college in four years on Tuesday at UNLV. But the 6-foot-4, 290-pound former junior college All-American isn't complaining.

"I think it has all worked out for the best in the end for me," said Acosta, expected to compete for a starting spot at either center or guard. "Now I get to play for one of the best coaches in the country in John Robinson. I can't complain about that."

It was a long and winding road to Las Vegas for the former prep tight end from Thousand Oaks, Calif., High School.

Acosta attended junior college for two years at Moorpark (Calif.) JC where he was switched to center and earned All-American honors. He signed with USC and was expected to start for the Trojans in 2000.

But after less than two weeks of fall practice, Acosta decided to leave the Pac-10 school for Cal State Northridge.

"Things didn't go the way I thought they were going to go," Acosta said. "It was the Paul Hackett era there. Not to smack on the guy ... he could be a great guy sometimes ... but I felt I just didn't fit into the program. So I had to do what was best for myself and leave."

Acosta impressed USC coaches during his short stay when he handled defensive tackle Ennis Davis in practice. Davis went on to become a seventh-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints.

"Coach (Dennis) Thurman said I would have started if I had stayed," Acosta said. "It was about respect. No matter what, you have to respect an individual and they just didn't give me that respect. They treated me wrong, telling me I was worthless and stuff. I don't know what I did wrong."

The final straw came when Acosta was informed that a clerical error by USC's admissions department would have forced him to sit out the first three games of the season.

Acosta moved on to Cal State Northridge where he wound up starting at the key left tackle position in 2001. The reason for the move from center was because Keith Kincaid, who also has transferred to UNLV, had to redshirt last season after shoulder surgery.

"They needed somebody to play tackle," Acosta said. "Hey, it got me on the field, so it didn't bother me at all to switch. For playing that position for the first time, I thought I did pretty well."

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for the Northridge football program. Because of budget concerns, the school disbanded its program last November, opening the door for its players to transfer to another Division I school and become eligible immediately.

With only one starter back from last year's offensive line, senior guard Tony Terrell, Acosta felt UNLV was an opportunity to play immediately. Acosta has just one year of eligibility remaining.

"He'll play for us," UNLV head coach John Robinson said. "None of us know exactly how that will settle out right now. But he's a veteran player and a natural at center. He'll be out there with the first two units all the time. He'll play guard and center. And I think he'll be a good football player for us."

Robinson compared getting Acosta and Kincaid, penciled in to start at right tackle for the Rebels, to switching personnel during his days as Los Angeles Rams coach.

"It's kind of like making a trade in the NFL," Robinson said. "They've already played at this level for Northridge. I don't think they'll have to change much coming in like a junior college player would."

"That was rough," Thomas said. "He had to undergo surgery and you don't know quite what to expect. But it turned out OK. The hardest thing to deal with now is what happened to Brisco. He's definitely not the kind of guy who would cause problems like that." ...

Veteran players report Thursday and will begin two-a-day practices Saturday morning at 7 a.m. on the new AstroPlay fields at Rebel Park. The Rebels will also practice at 7 p.m. each day. A scrimmage is tenatively scheduled Saturday night, Aug. 17, at Sam Boyd Stadium. All practices are free and open to the public. ...

UNLV opens its season Aug. 31 vs. Wisconsin at Sam Boyd Stadium.