By ALAN SNEL
LVSportsBiz.com
UNLV football coach Tony Sanchez can easily show the new on-campus football training center under construction to his recruits. The $31 million Fertitta complex opens late next spring.
But Sanchez is waiting for NCAA permission before he takes a football recruit to see the $1.8 billion domed stadium under construction two miles to the west from campus where the UNLV football team will start playing its games in 2020. The Raiders and UNLV negotiated a deal for the Rebels to share the 65,000-seat venue that will use a grass playing surface for the NFL team and an artificial grass surface for the UNLV games.
Sanchez said the NCAA only allows coaches to take football recruits to what is the team’s “home site.” And that’s Sam Boyd Stadium seven miles from campus in a remote area not too far from the Las Vegas Wash.
During the Mountain West Conference media day Wednesday, Sanchez said he has eight committed recruits and they can’t wait to play in the new football stadium on 62.5 acres on the west side of Interstate 15 bounded by Hacienda Avenue, Polaris Avenue and Russell Road.
The only problem is that Sanchez can’t show recruits the actual stadium construction site where about 650 workers are on the site — until the NCAA gives UNLV the green light. The Nevada Regents approved the Raiders-UNLV stadium joint-use deal in January. There was talk that UNLV would have to pay the Raiders as much as $250,000 to rent the stadium per game compared to the $50,000-$75,000 cost for a UNLV game at Sam Boyd Stadium.
Keep in mind that the UNLV football players will spend most of their football time at the Fertitta training center and not at the football stadium, which will host six UNLV football games a year.
Sanchez said he expects to hear from the NCAA in the next few months on whether he can take recruits to the new stadium construction site.
Sanchez said Sam Boyd Stadium is a decent football stadium, but he noted his main beef with the venue is its location, seven miles from campus. And he did say the locker rooms could be better there.
The Raiders stadium will be converted for UNLV football games through digital displays so that UNLV can display its sponsors and corporate partners. The new stadium’s artificial surface will have the UNLV markings and be installed for UNLV games thanks to a tray with the playing surface that will be slid into the new stadium.
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Sanchez is a fun interview who is enthusiastic in his fourth season after 3-9, 4-8 and 5-7 seasons at UNLV. He’s also remarkably candid with his comments, including a funny quip about looking back at UNLV football and remarking, “We’ve never been on track.”
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Sanchez understands the Las Vegas sports market has become more competitive with new major league sports teams since his first UNLV season in 2015. Here are his comments on that topic:
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