A PRO IN REBELSÕ CLOTHING

ItÕs Monday morning in Ely, and Ryan Wolfe looks as sharp as ever.

What else is new?

Going first in every drill, he sets the tone.

The senior receiverÕs routes are precise. Time after time, the ball disappears into his gloved hands without a sound.

By watching you canÕt tell that Wolfe was on the bathroom floor, battling a stomach virus, just 24 hours ago.

HeÕs the model of consistency, no matter what.

ÒBasically, when I came in, I figured everything he did was right,Ó sophomore receiver Phillip Payne said of WolfeÕs quiet example. ÒHe seldom makes mistakes. NobodyÕs perfect, but if youÕre looking for someone to follow, itÕd be him.

ÒJust look at him. Even if he isnÕt doing it right, he makes it look so good that you think itÕs right.Ó

Given the way Wolfe practices — full-speed, serious, consistent — and the way he takes care of himself — yoga classes to keep limber on top of all his other conditioning — his numbers should come as no surprise.

In just three seasons he set UNLV records with 209 catches and 2,735 yards. Wolfe should put his name all over the Mountain West Conference record books by the time this season is through.

And from there?

ÒHeÕs a pro,Ó UNLV receivers coach Kris Cinkovich said. ÒThis is real important to him. We have a saying for our receivers, ÔYou get better or worse each day — you never stay the same.Õ I think he really sees every day as an opportunity to get better.Ó

Head coach Mike Sanford, who coached future pros Keyshawn Johnson and Johnnie Morton at Southern Cal and NFL receivers with the Chargers, is quick to agree.

ÒI think heÕs the most complete receiver that IÕve ever been involved with,Ó Sanford said. ÒHe does everything a receiver needs to do. He has every quality that you want.Ó

A few years ago no one was making those bold predictions.

Wolfe tore an anterior cruciate ligament playing summer football before his junior year at Hart High in Newhall, Calif. Injuries like that end the college dreams of many athletes.

But Wolfe, after surgery in July that year, ground through rehab and was ready for the playoffs. On his first play back he took a pass 70 yards to the goal line. It set up a shocking run through the playoffs with Hart upsetting No. 1 Mission Viejo in the title game, thanks to a pair of Wolfe scores.

But it wasnÕt enough for most college football coaches. UNLV was the only Division I-A school to offer him a scholarship.

He may not have had any offers if not for Gary Bernardi, then offensive line coach at Northern Arizona, whoÕd seen Wolfe play in the championship game.

ÒHeÕd always said that if I had nowhere else to go, then heÕd try to find a spot for me there,Ó Wolfe said. ÒThen by luck of the draw, he ended up coming here.Ó

When Bernardi took a job with the Rebels in 2005, he persuaded Sanford to take a flier on Wolfe.

ÒItÕs not statistics sometimes,Ó Bernardi said. ÒYou just get that feel about somebody. It was that way with Ryan.Ó

The best the Rebels could do was offer Wolfe a spot as a grayshirt, meaning heÕd come to campus in the spring of 2006.

ÒIt was exciting,Ó Wolfe said. ÒAll I had to hear was Ôfour-wide receiver set.Õ As a receiver coming here, there was a lot of potential.Ó

Plans to redshirt Wolfe evaporated quickly. UNLV needed healthy bodies at receiver, and Wolfe made an easy transition into the RebelsÕ system.

ÒThere was no question about it. When he came into camp as a freshman, he was just a little more mature, and we all saw that as players, as did the coaches,Ó former Rebels quarterback Shane Steichen said. ÒHe was kind of the go-to guy right off the bat.Ó

Wolfe became one of the few bright spots on a 2-10 team as a freshman. In his first game, the kid few college coaches even gave the time of day caught six passes for 160 yards and a touchdown. HeÕs added nine more 100-yard games and 12 more touchdowns, and he enters his senior year as the second-leading active receiver in the Football Bowl Subdivision ranks.

ÒHe might drop a ball every once in a while because heÕs human,Ó said Steichen, whoÕs now a graduate assistant on SanfordÕs staff. ÒBut as far as doing the right thing, heÕs pretty much flawless.Ó

Teammates know Wolfe as a creature of habit.

ÒHe belongs in the Army,Ó senior receiver Rodelin Anthony joked. ÒFrom the systems to fundamentals, I mean, he does squares when others do circles. If this is how you get there, then this is the only way. ThereÕs no shortcut.Ó

Anthony claims Wolfe takes nine showers a day. An exaggeration, Wolfe said.

ÒMaybe three.Ó

But he canÕt leave the house without taking one in the morning. After practice heÕs one of the last guys off the field and into the ice tub. The way he slowly, methodically exits makes the 22-year-old look like an old man.

He must force himself to eat before a game and canÕt prepare properly without first losing himself in his iPod as everyone else bustles and yells in the cramped locker room.

ÒYou get into your routine,Ó he said. ÒI always talk about how once the seasonÕs over, I get a little stir crazy because thereÕs not that many things to entertain myself with during the day.Ó

That wonÕt be the case once the 2009 season wraps up. At this point, a professional career is all but a given for the 6-foot-2, 210-pound receiver.

This fall scouts from the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns have seen him practice. Surely, more will come to watch.

ÒThereÕs no question in my mind,Ó Cinkovich said. ÒHe approaches the game that way. He has fun, but the gameÕs really important to him and he treats the game like it should be treated, because thatÕs the way itÕs supposed to be.Ó

Wolfe admits that playing in the NFL is a dream, but after years of staying ahead of the curve in almost every aspect of his life, heÕs put a premium on enjoying his senior season.

He earned his bachelorÕs degree in the spring and took apart the UNLV record books inside of three seasons.

The Rebels came close to a winning season last year, finishing 5-7 after a promising 3-1 start. The goals are set higher in 2009.

ÒJust winning. Winning solves everything,Ó Wolfe said. ÒI think this senior class and the work weÕve put in the last four years, we deserve to have some thrills of a bowl game. ThatÕs something weÕve worked hard toward, and itÕs time for us to cash in on stuff like that.Ó

Then Wolfe can cash in.

Ryan Greene can be reached at 948-7844 or at [e-mail].