Wolf Pack’s Las Vegas natives itching at chance to beat UNLV again

Las Vegas has been home to Nevada’s Amir Johnson and JoJuan Claiborne since elementary school, both of whom roam the country to settle in Sin City.

Johnson moved to Silver State just before starting middle school from Rhode Island; Claiborne moved from Georgia to Southern Nevada when he was 6 years old. But it was Reno, not Las Vegas, that these two grew into men and college-level impact players.

They spent their high school days together at the powerhouse Bishop Gorman High under the then head coaches Tony and Kenny Sanchez, who won 10 consecutive state titles with the Gaels from 2009 to 18. Claiborne, a defensive back, won two state championships and Johnson, a lineman, won three while at Gorman.

“It’s been a crazy experience playing on ESPN at such a young age and all of that,” said Claiborne. “I feel like it really prepared me not to shy away from the big moments now as a college football player. So it was honestly a blessing. I had a lot of role models there who really helped me, the player to become who I am today. ” Like Nicco (Fertitta), who played in Notre Dame, and then Bubba Bolden, he’s in Miami right now. Those were the free safeties in front of me, and I’m modeling my game after these guys. You sent me to see who I am today. ”

But the road to Nevada wasn’t easy for Claiborne or Johnson, who didn’t have a traditional recruiting journey like many of their high-profile high school teammates. Johnson and Claiborne, along with Safety Jordan Lee, another Gorman graduate, were recruited by former Wolf Pack running back coach David White, who had ties to Las Vegas after playing for UNLV in the early 1990s and as head coach from 2003 acted by Bishop Gorman. 2006. Everyone came to Nevada as a walk-on before receiving scholarships.

“I didn’t really know about the recruiting game until late in my high school career,” said Johnson, a defensive tackle who started his college career on the offensive. “I haven’t had an opportunity to go to camps, and I haven’t had the opportunity to meet other college colleges or attend subcamps or put my skills to the test. So I didn’t get a lot of recruits this late.” into my high school career. ”

Added the 5 foot 11, 185 pound Claiborne: “I’ve always been told I’m too short. I just wasn’t what people were looking for. “

Claiborne held preferred walk-on deals from Nevada, Kansas State, and Southern Mississippi. He now has a scholarship in Nevada. Johnson had a favorite walk-on spot from the wolf pack and was recruited from the Dixie State and Adams State lower division schools. Before last season, he received a scholarship in Nevada. Both were not recruited from their home school, UNLV, which will host the wolf pack at Mackay Stadium on Friday.

“It definitely holds a chip on our shoulder because we know we weren’t recruited from our own town,” said Johnson. “It makes us play better and be better and beat these guys. I still know guys on the team so beating these guys is always fun.

Claiborne added, “I have a little extra chip on my shoulder when it comes to this game. I just want to get a ball out and let them know they missed a great player. I think it’s the same for the team . ” to make sure they know we’re the best in Nevada, like ‘We are Nevada’. “

Lessons about how important this game is to Reno and the surrounding community were passed on to Claiborne and Johnson by the team’s veterans when they joined Nevada in 2018 and 2017, respectively. It is now your job to explain the story of this game to the youngsters.

“When you see the likes of Austin Corbett and Malik Reed and see how intense they have been all week and how seriously they took this game and how much it meant to the people at Reno, the game itself means a lot,” said Johnson.

The rivalry between Nevada and UNLV dates back to 1969, with the most expensive and heaviest college football trophy on the line, the Fremont Cannon. Friday’s game will mark the 47th meeting between the teams, with Nevada holding a 28:18 lead and winning six of their last 10 games, including last season’s 37:19 win at Allegiant Stadium.

“The most important thing about this game is that you know that records don’t matter,” said Nevada’s head coach Jay Norvell. “In our first year (2017) we won three games and we won this game and it made our whole season. In other years we won eight games and lost this game and it felt like we hadn’t achieved anything you can knock the records out. It really doesn’t matter. The simple thing is, we’re preparing properly for this game. We respect the opportunity and we play the right way. “

Norvell added that the rivalry game is a “365 day deal” that powers the team during the off-season. This is especially true for players like Claiborne and Johnson who have been overlooked by their hometown college.

“When we lost the cannon, we already knew the deal,” said Johnson of the loss of overtime in 2019 at Mackay Stadium. “We had to get the cannon back. We just lost our composure. But we just have to learn from our mistakes and not lose our cool. I think we just have to keep playing as well as we can. We still have to play.” our best game. I think we get better with every game and that only means great things to us because if we improve we get better. ”