Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Rebels Football:

UNLV football grabs commitment from local lineman

Another Las Vegas area high school football player is verbally committed to UNLV and new coach Tony Sanchez.

Justin Polu, a 6-foot-4-inch, 300-pound lineman from Silverado High, took to social media today to commit to the Rebels following a weekend visit. Polu picked UNLV over Colorado State, where he visited in early December, and before coach Jim McElwain left for Florida.

Polu was offered a scholarship by Sanchez on Dec. 29, quickly becoming a top priority for the new UNLV staff. The offensive line was one of UNLV’s worst units last season, and the Rebels top linemen — Brett Boyko and center Robert Waterman — were seniors.

Polu is a three-star recruiting prospect on the Rivals.com evaluating scale of five stars. He’s considered the state’s No. 6 prospect for the class of 2015.

Polu was also offered by Weber State, Idaho and Navy. His brother, Jarvis, heavily considered UNLV last year before signing with Navy.

Polu is the second local to commit to Sanchez, who spent the past six seasons building Bishop Gorman into a national high school power. On Dec. 30, Canyon Springs defensive lineman Melvin Johnson orally committed.

Polu, Johnson and Gorman linebacker Nela Otukolo were part of the local contingent to visit UNLV this weekend. It was the first recruiting weekend for Sanchez and his staff and included dinner Saturday at Hank’s Fine Steaks and Martinis at Green Valley Ranch Resort.

Otukolo, who was arguably Nevada’s top defensive player last season in helping Gorman go undefeated and win the mythical national championship, is also considering Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii and Wyoming. He wasn’t immediately available for comment.

Verbal commitments are nonbinding, meaning Polu can still be recruited by other schools. National signing day, when verbal commitments become official after an intent letter is signed, is Feb.4.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21

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