Eppenger picks UNLV

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005 | 9:30 a.m.

New UNLV football coach Mike Sanford has made keeping local talent at home a top recruiting priority. And on Monday he picked up one of the top members of the class of 2005 from the Las Vegas area.

Cheyenne High School's Perry Eppenger (6-4, 314), considered the city's top defensive line prospect, announced he would sign with the Rebels on Feb. 2, which is national letter of intent signing day.

"(UNLV) is close to home and I think the program is going to get better under coach Sanford," he said. "He's a proven winner and I think he's going to do a lot of good things with that program. I told him (Monday) that I was coming."

Eppenger picked the Rebels over Fresno State and New Mexico and is the second local player in the past three weeks to commit to UNLV, joining former Las Vegas High defensive lineman Jacob Hales (6-5, 275), who will enroll at mid-year after returning from a two-year LDS Church mission.

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