Nevada roster has 16 fewer players than it did in the spring
Nevada’s football roster is a lot smaller heading into the summer.
New Nevada coach Jay Norvell told the Reno Gazette-Journal that 16 players who were with the team for spring camp are no longer members. Nine of the 16 players were scholarship players including quarterback Hunter Fralick. Wide receiver Victor Gonzalez, who had two catches for 85 yards in 2016, is also not returning to the team.
“The whole spring was an evaluation period for us, trying to get the kids to learn how we want to practice,” Norvell said. “It was a transition period. I was really disappointed with the first three weeks of practice. We really challenged our players. We had several players who weren’t improving, who weren’t getting any better. I challenged them. I told them, ‘If you aren’t getting better every day, there’s something wrong. You’re either not listening to the coaches, not focused in what we we’re trying to accomplish or you’re really not into it.’ We evaluated a lot of kids and talked to them after spring practice.”
Because of an NCAA rule that guarantees scholarships for multiple years and gives players an out in the midst of a coaching change, the players who left the team are able to continue to receive financial assistance.
Norvell came to Nevada after a season as the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator at Arizona State. He was previously the wide receivers coach at Texas in 2015.
In addition to Fralick, quarterback Dante Mayes isn’t returning either. While those two players are no longer with the team, Nevada has the services of Alabama transfer quarterback David Cornwell in 2017. Cornwell is a grad transfer and eligible to play immediately. He could very well open the season as the Wolf Pack’s starter at Northwestern on Sept. 2.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
