Nevada announces its 2000 recruiting class

RENO - New University of Nevada coach Chris Tormey announced Wednesday that the Wolf Pack has signed 23 recruits to letters of intent for the upcoming season, including two hometown players.

Local recruits included Matt White (6-foot-2, 220 pounds), a tight end for McQueen High School last season, and Mike Yenick (6-2, 235), a defensive end out of Bishop Manogue. White was a USA All-American Honorable Mention selection at linebacker.

Another somewhat local signing was Mike Luca (6-4, 240) out of Jesuit High in Sacramento. Luca was a first-team All-Metro selection by the Sacramento Bee this past fall, and he was also a two-time all-league performer in his school's Metro League.

Tormey, who took over the Nevada program after Jeff Tisdel announced his resignation last fall, said his team signed a total of 13 offensive and defensive linemen. That includes Derek Kennard Jr. (6-0, 240), son of former Wolf Pack great Derek Kennard.

"We signed a talented class, and we believe we helped ourselves in the short term and long run," Tormey said. "We put special emphasis on the offensive and defensive lines."

Nevada signed six offensive linemen and seven on the defensive side. Also signed were three defensive backs, two linebackers, a quarterback, a wide receiver and a running back.

Kennard played for Desert Vista High in Phoenix, where his team went 26-1 in two seasons. Another top Arizona recruit was Waymon Westbrooks (6-0, 205), a wide receiver out of Phoenix Junior College in Arizona. Westbrooks was an All-America selection out of high school, where he caught 72 passes for 1,042 yards as a senior, and he had originally signed with Utah.

Other standouts include John Tennert (6-3, 288), a USA Today Honorable Mention All-American as an offensive lineman from Eagle High in Boise, Idaho.

The Pack also signed Daryl Towns (6-0, 212), a linebacker from Pasadena High (Pasadena, Calif.) that was a preseason All-American selection by both the SuperPrep.com and PrepStar.com Web sites. Towns was also a first-team all-state linebacker selection, an impressive honor considering the amount of California schools to choose from.

"We helped our overall depth on the offensive and defensive lines," Tormey said. "We expect a number of these players to come in here and compete for a starting job."

Nevada, which just finished its last season in the Big West with a 3-8 mark, will join the Western Athletic Conference this fall. The Wolf Pack open the 2000 season at Oregon before kicking off their WAC schedule at home against Texas Christian on Sept. 9.