Rebels Land JUCO QB Max Gilliam
The former Cal quarterback is coming to Las Vegas
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UNLV landed a former Power 5 QB
The UNLV Rebels are building depth at the quarterback position with the addition of JUCO signal caller Max Gilliam. He redshirted at Cal in 2016 and will enroll at UNLV in January.
“The experience that I have been through in the last six months at Saddleback JC has changed my life,” Gilliam said on his Twitter account. “It has given me a completely new perspective and appreciation for everything that I am blessed with including all the doors football has opened for me.
“With that being said, I am proud to announce that the next chapter of my college experience will be at UNLV! I cannot wait to start my journey as a Rebel in January.”
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At Saddleback in 2017, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Gilliam passed for 1,185 yards with ten touchdowns and seven interceptions, as well as 222 rushing yards (without adjusting for sacks) and two rushing scores.
Different scouting services rated Gilliam, a product of Thousand Oaks, as a three- or four-star recruit in the Class of 2016. In addition to his Cal offer, he had offers from Arizona, Marshall, Ohio, San Diego State, San Jose State, Toledo, UCLA, Utah, Washington and Washington State.
In his two years as a high school starter, Gilliam completed 71.8% of his passes for 6,333 yards and 69 touchdowns, adding 1,291 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground, as well. During his senior season, he accounted for over 4,000 yards of total offense and 50 total touchdowns.
As the Rebels lose both Kurt Palandech and Johnny Stanton (who also arrived in Vegas from Saddleback CC) to graduation this offseason, adding Gilliam to the roster will be a boost for UNLV. That the Rebels have not had the same starter for the entire season in about a decade, according to the Las Vegas Sun’s Ray Brewer, is crucial, too, as Stanton and Palandech both saw time when starter Armani Rogers missed time with injury.
Gilliam will have three years of eligibility remaining upon his arrival in Las Vegas, and he has expressed confidence that his presence won’t mean simply competing to become a backup. At a minimum, having two highly-regarded quarterbacks on the roster will help head coach Tony Sanchez feel better about his young and potent offense.