Rebels land third all-state first-teamer in Rodriguez

Steve Guiremand

Monday, Jan. 24, 2005 | 9:27 a.m.

New UNLV head football coach Mike Sanford picked up four more commitments over the weekend, including a third from the first team of the Sun's All-State squad.

Las Vegas High offensive lineman A.J. Rodriguez (6-5, 300), who previously had given New Mexico a nonbinding verbal commitment, changed to UNLV to join Palo Verde High School quarterback Jarrell Harrison and Cheyenne two-way line star Perry Eppenger (6-3, 320) as first-team all-state picks headed to UNLV.

The Rebels also landed one of the top California junior college defensive line recruits when Cedrick Fisher (6-3, 330) of Santa Monica (Calif.) College picked UNLV.

Fisher, a first-team all-Western States Conference pick as a freshman in 2003, sat out the 2004 season with a foot contusion and still has three years of eligibility remaining. He also took a recruiting visit to Arkansas and was scheduled to visit Illinois next weekend. Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State were among the other schools recruiting Fisher.

Meanwhile, the Rebels picked up another top prospect from Florida 2A champion Immokalee High School when WR/DB Renan Saint Preux (6-2, 185) committed. Saint Preux also took a recruiting visit to East Carolina and was getting some interest from Mississippi State.

Saint Preux, who won the Florida 2A triple-jump crown as a junior with a leap of 45-feet, 9 1/2 inches, was a first-team all-state pick as a punter but projects as a wide receiver or safety in college. He joins teammates Rodlin Anthony (6-6, 210), a first-team all-state pick as a wide receiver, and Wiselet Rouzard (5-10, 185), a second-team pick as a linebacker, as players from Immokalee High headed to Las Vegas.

The Rebels also shored up their punting needs when Brian Pacheco (5-11, 200) of Glendale (Ariz.) College, a second-team NJCAA All-American, verbally committed. Pacheco takes his official recruiting visit to UNLV this weekend.

NFL receiving star Keenan McCardell, former NCAA golf champion Warren Schutte, former Rebels star Freddie Banks and former head baseball coach Fred Dallimore will be inducted into the Hall of Fame that night.

Ceremonies will take place at the MGM Grand's Studio Ballroom with a cash-bar reception starting at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets, priced at $100 for the general public and $50 for UNLV staff, alumni and athletic letterwinners, can be obtained by calling 895-1533.