MWC in for a ride awakeningThe Victory Lap.
The Victory Lap.
MWC in for a ride awakeningThe Victory Lap.
Captain Canada wrote: ↑11 Jan 2025, 10:36That boy ain't wasting no time rebuilding this Nevada team
The Victory Lap.
Analyzing Nevada football's roster heading into fall camp
Jeff Longo -- Nevada Sports Net College Football Writer
Nevada was ultra-aggressive in the offseason, bringing in 22 high school signees and nine transfer portals with Nevada's transfer portal class being the highest ranked on in the country and signed the top G6 high school recruiting class as well in head coach Jerome Singleton's first full recruiting class.
The Wolfpack have a new offensive coordinator in Josh Zimmerman and will need to replace their best offensive player in Ryan Tauscher who graduated. Here's how the Wolfpack's roster stands heading into fall camp as they look to conquer a revamped Mountain West Conference that underwent some changes this offseason.
Quarterback
Returning: Darian Molinaro (Sr), Ramon Stoneburner (Rs-So)
Additions: 3-star HS Jalen Ramesh, 3-star HS James Feliz
Losses: Jimmy Roche (graduation), Ross Guenther (graduation), Juan Parra (graduation), Earl Scharff (transfer portal)
The Wolfpack return Darian Molinaro as its starter and under a new offensive coordinator, they are hoping that Molinaro is able to improve on his turnovers. Molinaro's last outing was promising, albeit against South Alabama, throwing for 264 yards and three touchdowns in an offense that was simplified following the firing of Brad Cornelsen prior to the bowl game.
The Wolfpack want to rely on its running game and let Molinaro's natural playmaking abilities take over when necessary.
Running Back
Returning: Eric Legue (Jr), Oscar Rico (Rs Jr)
Additions: 4-star HS Gerald Whittaker, 3-star transfer Dennis Linnenkohl (Rs-So), FB Zach Bee (Rs Sr, position switch)
Losses: Ryan Tauscher (graduation), Rodney Meredith (transfer), Marvin Godspeed (position switch), Gill Dansby (position switch)
Eric Leglue is still recovering from a broken femur he suffered last season and will likely miss, at least, the first month of the season. In his absence, expect the Wolfpack to heavily rely on two offseason additions in Gerald Whittaker, the prized offensive recruit of last year's recruiting class and BYU transfer Dennis Linnenkohl. The BYU transfer hasn't played a lot of football but the talent is there and evident throughout the spring as him and Whittaker battled it out with the freshman probably edging out Linnenkohl for the starting job.
It'll be interesting when Leglue returns how the Wolfpack manage the splitting of carries as last year, they had a clear lead back in Ryan Tauscher but now have three players that are around the same level in terms of talent but the potential is there for Whittaker to separate himself from the pack by year's end.
Wide Receiver
Returning: Tyrus Nunn (Jr), Owen Breckner (Rs Jr), Jordan Costello (Jr), Martin Gilliam (Rs Fr), Joel Waller (Rs So)
Additions: 3-star HS Brian Kosar, 3-star HS Sidney Torrence, Marvin Godspeed (Rs Sr, position switch), Gill Dansby (Rs Jr, position switch)
Losses: Markell Rhodes (graduation), Connor Tran (graduation), Mitch Cole (graduation)
Outside of Tyrus Nunn, Nevada didn't get a lot of production from their wide receiver as the passing game in general was severely lacking. Fans shouldn't play a big jump this season either but the Wolfpack are trying to add some more playmaking ability to the position, moving former running backs Marvin Godspeed and Gill Dansby to receiver.
Joel Waller showed flashes towards the end of last season but was quickly in the dog house in the spring and was suspended for the spring game. The Wolfpack don't really have a clear starter on the outside, let alone two. Outside of Waller, Owen Breckner is the only receiver over six-feet tall on the roster with a catch to his name and expecting the freshman Brian Kosar, who has potential, to come in and contribute right away is a tall ask.
Tight End
Returning: Dennis Tatum (Jr), Keanon Dunbar (Rs So)
Additions: Willie Morrison (Rs Sr, position switch)
Losses: Cal Costello (graduation), Sam Hufanga (transfer portal), James Madu (transfer portal)
After having success in Cal Castello who moved from the offensive line to tight end, the Wolfpack are looking to repeat that success by moving Willie Morrison, last year's starting right tackle, to tight end to pair him with Dennis Tatum.
The Wolfpack played a lot of two tight end sets last year, helping pave the way for their top ranked rushing offense so that'll be in the cards for Zimmerman if he wants to have a similar approach with Tatum, your tradition tight end, and a jumbo tight end in Morrison who moved really well in the spring at 303 pounds but doesn't offer the pass catching effectiveness that Costello brought as he was a former tight end himself.
Offensive Tackle
Returning: Jackie Maginn (Rs Jr), Finau Reilly (Rs Jr), Marvin Granger (Rs Jr)
Additions: 4-star transfer Alani Latu (Rs Jr), 3-star transfer Johnnie Lake (Rs So), 3-star HS Nelson Landman, 3-star HS Kyle Doss
Losses: Shaquille Golden (graduation), Diego Angel (graduation), Kevin Rosario (transfer portal), Willie Morrison (position switch)
One of the reasons that Nevada felt comfortable moving Morrison to tight end was the addition of Alani Latu from BYU. Latu played guard at BYU but at the G6 level, he returns to tackle where at six-foot-one, it's not as big of a hindrance.
While Nevada is replacing it's two starting tackles, with Diego Angel graduating, they could actually improve in that position as certain areas as Jackie Maginn and Latu give the Wolfpack two bookend tackles that are powerful and should pave the way for another 1,000-yard rusher or two.
Offensive Guard
Returning: Harvey Cook (Rs Sr), Alani Fatafehi (Rs Sr), Dylan Morton (Rs Jr), Eric Ryder (Rs Jr), Jaden Coker (Rs So)
Additions: 4-star HS Tobias Bibbs
Losses: Niles Thorn (draft)
The only drafted player from Nevada was Niles Thorn, who went in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. The Wolfpack will need to replace him and they have some options in Dylan Morton, who started in the spring game and is the likely starter. There's also Alani Fatafehi, a fifth-year senior with plenty of experience on the practice field as well as 4-star Tobias Bibbs, who ideally will be redshirted this year.
Center
Returning: DeMarco Dodge (Rs Sr), Anthony McCracken (Rs Jr), Owen McElroy (Rs So)
Additions: 3-star transfer Ben Weeks (Rs Jr)
Losses: None
The vision is clear here with DeMarco Dodge returning for his senior year as a captain and leader of the offensive line. The Wolfpack got the second best available guard in the transfer portal in Ben Weeks from Colorado State who will sit behind Dodge for a season, and be a versatile swing interior lineman, and then take over next year as the starter.
This is the sort of depth that the Wolfpack didn't have last year that they now have after an aggressive offseason from Singleton and Co.
Defensive End
Returning: Cornell Chism (Rs Sr), Jesus Crespo (Rs Jr), Randy Blair (Rs Sr), Stephen Neufeld (Rs So), Niles Ogle (Rs So), Travis Barry (So)
Additions: 3-star HS Duke Briscoe, 3-star HS John Coffman, 3-star HS John Kazee
Losses: Clint Khaled (graduation), Brian Crocker (graduation), Robert Brown (transfer portal)
The Wolfpack lose two of its players from the front in Clint Khaled (4.5 sacks) and Brian Crocker (7 TFL) but do return Cornell Chism, who had 2.5 sacks last year. There's not a lot of proven production on the roster but the coaching staff must have felt confident in the talent there as they weren't aggressive in the transfer portal like they were at other positions and are essentially bringing back the same room with some high school talent sprinkled in.
John Kazee is a potential star and the coaching staff is high on him but with a ton of older guys in front of him, albeit not proven, he'll need to show out in the fall to get onto the field.
Nose Tackle
Returning: Clayton Bostick (Rs Sr), Franklin Graves (Rs So), Alex Alonso (Rs So), Warren McSurdy (Rs So)
Additions: 4-star HS Larry Palepoi
Losses: Xavier Lamb (graduation)
The loss of starter Xavier Lamb is a big one but they do return Clayton Bostick who played a ton of football last year in Nevada's sub packages with two defensive tackles and this year next to him should be the four-star Larry Palepoi, who comes in with a ton of hype. He was the first member of Nevada's recruiting class last year and it's highest ranked player signed in modern era. The staff will no doubt want to show high school players that if they sign to the Wolfpack out of high school, especially if they're talented like Palepoi, they'll get an opportunity to play right away.
Linebacker
Returning: Melvin Lemon (Rs Sr), Samuel Hopper (Rs Jr), Clayton Sills (Jr), Alani Marks (Rs So), Nick Battles (Rs Jr), Fetu Rome (So), Luol Crook (Rs Fr), Kevin Tinker (Rs Fr)
Additions: 3-star HS Manu Vallejo, 3-star HS Oscar Burden, 3-star HS Nate Tuefele (Fr), 3-star transfer Joe D'Imperio (Rs Sr), 3-star transfer Fredrick Burks (Rs So)
Losses: Tucker McClure (graduation), Cory Gildon (transfer portal)
Expect Nevada to have a deep rotation at linebacker this year as they return starting MIKE linebacker Samuel Hopper along with Melvin Lemon, who wasn't officially a starter but played a lot last year as part of the rotation at linebacker, as did Clayton Sills. They went big game hunting in the transfer portal at linebacker, bringing in the top ranked inside linebacker available in Joe D'Imperio and a top-two outside linebacker in BYU's Frederick Burks.
Burks has multiple years of eligibility left while D'Imperio is one and done after having a very productive career at BYU. With the infusion of talent, including some talented high school player, Nevada can now be as exotic as those Wisconsin defenses were under Singleton when they had different types of personnel they could bring onto the field to present different matchups and looks for opposing offenses.
Cornerback
Returning: Jaren Beriault (Rs Sr), Afa Keur (Rs So), Taylor Davis (Rs Fr), Terrance Rutter (So)
Additions: 3-star HS Harvey Coutler, 3-star HS Gabe Mady, 3-star HS Jameson Turpin
Losses: Jermichael Hunter (graduation), Dexter Jackson (graduation), Joey O'Donnell (graduation)
Nevada loses its two starters in Jermichael Hunter and Dexter Jackson but internally feel good about their top four of Jaren Beriualt, Afa Keur, Taylor Davis and Harvey Coutler.
Beriault is the only one with some significant experience so this will be a young unit that is sure to go through some growing pains. The 'stickiness' is there in terms of man coverage ability for this group to eventually turn into an elite one but for now, the Wolfpack will need to rely on its experienced safety room to help guide this secondary through this season.
Safety
Returning: FS Dell Hazelwood (Rs Sr), FS Alex Marrero (Rs Fr), S Eric Chosen (Sr), S Ja'Darius Bagent (Rs Jr),
Additions: 3-star HS James Cook, 3-star HS Dylan O'Malley, 3-star HS Jalen Wroten, 3-star transfer Lionel Parms (Rs So), 3-star transfer Dominique Folkerts (Rs Jr), 3-star transfer Manu Chen
Losses: S Logan Burress (graduation), FS Mailau Sami (transfer portal), S D'Andre Addai (transfer portal)
The Wolfpack return starting free safety Dell Hazelwood, starting strong safety Eric Chosen and starting ROVER Ja'Darius Bagent to form a unit that should be a strong point for this Wolfpack defense.
They get some much needed depth in transfers Dominique Folkerts and Manu Chen, who could very well be next year's starters once Hazelwood and Chosen graduate. There's also the intriguing high school prospect Jalen Wroten, who showed flashes in the spring as a big, physical and explosive athlete that could star in Singleton's secondary for years to come.
The Victory Lap.
Nevada releases official depth chart as they enter the 2030 season as favorites to win the MWC
Jeff Longo -- Nevada Sports Net College Football Writer
The Nevada Wolfpack begin this 2030 campaign this week when they'll travel to Boise, Idaho, where they ended last year with a bowl win over South Alabama, to take on former conference member Boise Sate.
The Wolfpack released their first official depth chart of the season and as expected, Darian Molinaro returns as the starter at quarterback. With Eric Leglue still recovering from his leg surgery, true freshman Gerald Whittaker is the listed starter at running back.
Whittaker is one of five true freshmen listed on the two-deep chart along with nose tackle Larry Palepoi, defensive end John Kazee, linebacker Manuel Vallejo and cornerback Harvey Coulter.
Nevada is the betting favorite to win the new look Mountain West Conference, which lost many of its top teams to the Pac-12. The Wolfpack are followed by San Jose State, UNLV and UTEP in terms of odds to win the conference according to DraftKings.
2030 Nevada Wolf Pack Two Deep Roster
Quarterback
#1 Darian Molinaro, Sr » 84 ovr, 90 spd, 91 acc, 91 thp, 91 sac, 89 mac, 80 dac
#7 Ramon Stoneburner, Rs So » 79 ovr, 76 spd, 82 acc, 80 thp, 98 sac, 94 mac, 79 dac
Running back
#5 Gerald Whittaker, Fr » 78 ovr, 92 spd, 90 acc, 77 cod, 86 car, 87 btk, 90 trk, 88 sfa
#22 Dennis Linnenkohl, Rs So » 80 ovr, 88 spd, 91 acc, 85 cod, 89 car, 89 btk, 87 trk, 84 sfa
Wide Receiver - X
#13 Tyrus Nunn, Jr » 81 ovr, 96 spd, 90 acc, 90 cth
#8 Joel Waller, Rs So » 71 ovr, 92 spd, 88 acc, 76 cth
Wide Receiver - Z
#14 Owen Breckner, Rs Jr » 75 ovr, 91 spd, 90 acc, 81 cth
#3 Jordan Costello, Jr » 74 ovr, 93 spd, 90 acc, 85 cth
Wide Receiver - Y
#19 Marvin Goodspeed, Rs Sr » 79 ovr, 87 spd, 87 acc, 79 cth
#12 Gill Dansby, Rs Jr » 74 ovr, 87 spd, 88 acc, 75 cth
Tight End
#85 Willie Morrison, Rs Sr » 90 ovr, 73 spd, 75 acc, 72 cth, 73 rbk
#86 Dennis Tatum, Jr » 75 ovr, 68 spd, 76 acc, 71 cth, 70 rbk
Left Tackle
#72 Alani Latu, Rs Jr » 82 ovr, 91 str, 91 pbk, 86 rbk
#70 Finau Reilly, Rs Jr » 77 ovr, 92 str, 78 pbk, 79 rbk
Left Guard
#50 Harvey Cook, Rs Sr » 86 ovr, 90 str, 77 pbk, 80 rbk
#53 Eric Ryder, Rs Jr » 80 ovr, 79 str, 79 pbk, 89 rbk
Center
#56 DeMarco Dodge, Rs Sr » 90 ovr, 81 str, 84 pbk, 93 rbk
#61 Ben Weeks, Rs Jr » 80 ovr, 88 str, 75 pbk, 91 rbk
Right Guard
#74 Dylan Morton, Rs Sr » 84 ovr, 74 str, 94 pbk, 83 rbk
#76 Alani Fatafehi, Rs Sr » 78 ovr, 90 str, 91 pbk, 85 rbk
Right Tackle
#73 Johnnie Lake, Rs So » 76 ovr, 87 str, 85 pbk, 82 rbk
#66 Jackie Maginn, Rs Jr » 79 ovr, 79 str, 75 pbk, 86 rbk
Left End
#96 Cornell Chism, Rs Sr » 84 ovr, 78 spd, 84 acc, 83 str, 91 pmv, 82 fmv, 78 bsh
#90 Randy Blair, Rs Sr » 80 ovr, 67 spd, 89 acc, 86 str, 84 pmv, 81 fmv, 65 bsh
Nose Tackle
#99 Clayton Bostick, Rs Sr » 81 ovr, 81 acc, 85 str, 79 pmv, 91 fmv, 67 bsh OR
#93 Alex Alonso, Rs Sr » 77 ovr, 76 acc, 83 str, 87 pmv, 81 fmv, 90 bsh
#1 Larry Palepoi, Fr » 78 ovr, 74 acc, 94 str, 71 pmv, 61 fmv, 76 bsh OR
#98 Franklin Graves, Rs So » 78 ovr, 73 acc, 87 str, 78 pmv, 78 fmv, 75 bsh
Right End
#72 Jesus Crespo, Rs Jr » 81 ovr, 81 spd, 82 acc, 84 str, 87 pmv, 75 fmv, 80 bsh
#94 John Kazee, Fr » 71 ovr, 84 spd, 83 acc, 87 str, 75 pmv, 76 fmv, 61 bsh
SAM Linebacker
#12 Clayton Sills, Jr » 82 ovr, 84 spd, 90 acc, 85 tkl, 78 bsh, 54 mcv, 57 zcv OR
#19 Joe D'Imperio, Rs Sr » 80 ovr, 86 spd, 83 acc, 81 tkl, 73 bsh, 64 mcv, 83 zcv
MIKE Linebacker
#13 Samuel Hopper, Rs Sr » 81 ovr, 85 spd, 86 acc, 78 awr, 82 tkl, 64 bsh, 81 mcv, 80 zcv
#29 Manu Vallejo, Fr » 73 ovr, 91 spd, 91 acc, 60 awr, 88 tkl, 69 bsh, 60 mcv, 74 zcv
WILL Linebacker
#52 Fredrick Burks, Rs So » 82 ovr, 88 spd, 90 acc, 87 tkl, 69 bsh, 72 mcv, 82 zcv
#30 Melvin Lemon, Rs Sr » 80 ovr, 82 spd, 87 acc, 76 tkl, 56 bsh, 65 mcv, 78 zcv
Cornerback
#14 Jaren Beriault, Rs Sr » 78 ovr, 88 spd, 86 acc, 88 mcv, 77 zcv, 72 press
#24 Taylor Davis, Rs Fr » 73 ovr, 93 spd, 87 acc, 77 mcv, 73 zcv, 71 press
Cornerback
#28 Afa Keuer, Rs So » 77 ovr, 80 spd, 78 acc, 86 mcv, 81 zcv, 82 press
#26 Harvey Coutler, Fr » 71 ovr, 93 spd, 87 acc, 77 mcv, 67 zcv, 71 press
Free Safety
#27 Dell Hazelwood, Rs Sr » 84 ovr, 88 spd, 85 acc, 76 prc, 69 mcv, 99 zcv
#0 Dominique Folkerts, Rs Jr » 79 ovr, 89 spd, 84 acc, 83 prc, 74 mcv, 93 zcv
Strong Safety
#10 Eric Chosen, Sr » 87 ovr, 85 spd, 83 acc, 95 prc, 72 mcv, 82 zcv
#8 Lionel Parms, Rs So » 82 ovr, 88 spd, 88 acc, 83 prc, 63 mcv, 74 zcv
Rover
#6 Ja'Darius Bagent, Rs Jr » 83 ovr, 86 spd, 88 acc, 79 prc, 70 mcv, 93 zcv
#24 Taylor Davis, Rs Fr » 74 ovr, 93 spd, 87 acc, 77 prc, 77 mcv, 73 zcv
Placekicker
#14 Joseph Pratt, So » 70 ovr, 80 kpw, 71 kac
Punter
#18 Soma Fineanganofo, Rs Jr » 70 ovr, 75 kpw, 79 kac
2030 Nevada Wolf Pack Schedule (2029 record)
at Boise State (8-5, 4-4)
vs. Colorado State (6-7, 5-3)
at San Diego State (7-6, 5-3)
at #3 Oregon (11-3, 8-1)
vs. Wyoming (4-8, 2-6)*
vs. San Jose State (6-6, 3-5)*
vs. Northern Illinois (5-7, 4-4)*
at New Mexico (7-7, 6-2)*
at Air Force (1-11, 0-8)*
vs. Hawaii (1-11, 0-8)*
vs. UTEP (5-7, 4-4)*
vs. UNLV (7-6, 4-4)*
*denotes conference game
The Victory Lap.
some dude on Colorado State about to catch a fist.
Your skill positions on offense are kinda weak. Morrison is going to be the guy
Your skill positions on offense are kinda weak. Morrison is going to be the guy
The Victory Lap.
Morrison is a converted offensive tackle so probably not
Yeah, WR was really bad and the guys I recruited came in lower rated than I expected. We're going to run the football and hope that does it
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The Victory Lap.
these names 
The Victory Lap.
Another season, lets get it.
The Victory Lap.
(0-1, 0-0)
(1-0, 0-0)NEV | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 || 20
BSU | 7 | 6 | 12 | 7 || 32
NEV QB Darian Molinaro, Senior: 12-17, 153 yds, INT, sacked once, 10 car, 118 yds, 3 TD
NEV HB Gerald Whitaker, Freshman: 20 car, 127 yds
NEV HB Dennis Linnenkohl: 8 car, 49 yds
BSU QB Noah Makovicka: 14-23, 312 yds, 4 TD, sacked twice
BSU HB John LeBeau: 14 car, 98 yds
BSU WR Rafael Qualls: 3 rec, 122 yds, 2 TD
--
(1-1, 0-0)
(1-1, 0-0)CSU | 7 | 10 | 7 | 8 || 32
NEV | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 || 35
CSU QB Amari Gardner, Rs Junior: 22-26, 239 yds, 2 TD, sacked once, 7 car, 64 yds, 2 TD
CSU HB David Cummings, Junior: 14 car, 80 yds
CSU LB Earl Kuhn, Junior: 19 tkl
NEV QB Darian Molinaro, Senior: 9-14, 104 yds, 3 TD, sacked once, 13 car, 116 yds, 2 TD (MWC OPOW)
NEV HB Gerald Whitaker, Freshman: 21 car, 116 yds
NEV HB Dennis Linnenkohl: 14 car, 91 yds
--
(2-1, 0-0)
(2-1, 0-0)NEV | 7 | 7 | 2 | 6 || 22
SDSU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 || 3
NEV QB Darian Molinaro, Senior: 9-16, 95 yds, INT, sacked twice, 13 car, 162 yds, TD, fumble (recovered)
NEV HB Gerald Whitaker, Freshman: 17 car, 71 yds, TD
NEV De Cornell Chism, Rs Senior: 5 tkl, 3 TFL, 2 sacks (MWC DPOW)
SDSU QB Alex Nicholson, Rs Sophomore: 14-18, 118 yds, INT, sacked 5 times
SDSU HB Josh Peace, Senior: 9 car, 56 yds
SDSU S Alex Symonette, Rs Senior: 11 tkl, INT
--
Current Record
2-1, 0-0 MWC
Injury List
WR Martin Gilliam, Freshman (torn pectoral, season)
HB Eric Leglue, Junior (broken femur, 7 weeks)
G Harvey Cook, Senior (broken collarbone, 5 weeks)
Upcoming Schedule
at #5 Oregon (2-0, 0-0)
vs. Wyoming (2-0, 0-0)
vs. San Jose State (2-1, 0-0)