Newcomer Ealy expected to offer defensive options

Steve Guiremand

Friday, March 26, 2004 | 9:36 a.m.

Following his senior year at Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades, Calif., Charles Ealy was selected to play for a California All-Star team that faced Florida's best in the annual Cali-Florida Game in Southern California.

Ealy, a two-way star as a prep, lined up at wide receiver for that squad. One of his teammates was current UNLV All-American candidate Earvin Johnson.

"He was good," Ealy said with a smile, "but I was the only receiver who scored in that game. We'll just leave it at that."

Ealy, who originally attended Fresno State as a wide receiver and then transferred to Compton College, has renewed acquintances with Johnson this spring. Ealy has switched to cornerback and was regarded as one of the team's key recruits this past winter. He frequently finds himself lining up opposite Johnson in spring practice drills.

"Going against a wide receiver like Earv every day in practice only makes me a better player," Ealy said. "That's why I like to go up against him."

"He's one of the strongest corners I've had in a while," UNLV coach John Robinson said. "He has been very impressive so far."

A 5-foot-11, 205-pounder, Ealy is the early frontrunner to replace Daniel Jones at one starting corner spot. Senior Rushard Dodd-Masters returns on the other side.

Sophomore Ernest Gordon, transfer Shannon Nowden, junior David Olsen, sophomore Jason Rogers and another highly-touted junior college transfer who will enroll in the fall, Chanti Bloomer of Grossmont College in El Cajon, Calif., also are in the running for playing time at cornerback.

Defensive coordinator Mike Bradeson had to play almost entirely zone in the secondary last season because of his team's lack of depth and experience at the cornerback positions. The Rebels ranked 84th nationally in pass defense and broke down badly in the secondary late in losses to both BYU (27-20 in overtime) and Colorado State (24-23).

"Basically the whole year we only played with four DBs," Bradeson said. "We only had four or five guys back there who were ready to play in games. This year we will hopefully have the versatility to do some more things coverage-wise that we couldn't do a year ago."

Ealy could give the Rebels their best cover corner since 2001 Mountain West Conference defensive player of the year Kevin Thomas, who now starts with the Buffalo Bills in the NFL.

"It's going very well for him," Bradeson said. "He's got a lot of learning that is going on but he's doing a nice job. He's picking things up. And he can cover people."

Seward, a two-time first team all-Mountain West Conference pick from Bonanza High School, had surgery on Wednesday to have a screw inserted into the foot to help heal a stress fracture that plagued him throughout spring practice.

Rebels trainer Kyle Wilson said Seward will be sidelined for about a month before he can resume conditioning drills.

Robinson said his team will start practice around 1 p.m. following a high school coaches clinic that day. He said the scrimmage, which is open to the public, will last about 30 minutes and will come at the conclusion of the approximately 90-minute long practice.

UNLV's final two days of spring practice will be Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. Just one of the final two days will be conducted in full gear per NCAA rules which mandates only 12 of a team's 15 spring practices can be performed in full pads.

A Durango High graduate, Brimmer was ranked No. 28 on the list right behing USC tailback Reggie Bush and ahead of such players as Wisconsin tailback Anthony Davis and Florida quarterback Chris Leak.

Wrote Feldman: "Smooth. Has great instincts and vision. Plays much faster than his 4.6 time in the 40. Added 10 pounds to become even more of a force in the run game."

Brimmer's reaction?

"That's pretty swell," he said.

Missouri quarterback Brad Smith topped the list.