Vic Viramontes’ odyssey
2016:
2017: Threw for 27 touchdowns, rushed for 22 as Riverside (Calif.) College quarterback
2018: Signed with Minnesota as quarterback
2018: Returned to Riverside College as linebacker, where he had 66 tackles, 1.5 sacks
2019: Meaning, it didn’t play any.
But he sat and listened and was shown by UNLV coaches not just a vision of the present, but of the player he could be upon departing after two years. He couldn’t get enough.
“I know this program is going somewhere special, and I wanted to be part of building that,” Viramontes said. “I didn’t want to go some place where they were always just reloading with guys over and over. I want to be part of this ride, and I’m learning something new every day.”
Need more than Vic
The junior is all instincts right now, listed at 6 feet 2 inches and
230 pounds, still very much a player whose natural gifts are trying to blend with the fundamentals and schematic responsibilities being taught.
It’s all relative, of course. UNLV at times last year showed brief periods of not being completely inept defensively, that perhaps things were slowly changing for the better, and yet a big part of the team’s 4-8 record was the fact it surrendered an average of 37.2 points.
In six of the eight losses, the Rebels allowed 41 or more.
They allowed 50 or more three times.
One athletic linebacker — did we mention Viramontes threw for 2,100 yards and ran for 1,868 more as the Riverside quarterback? — isn’t going to suddenly propel UNLV among the better Mountain West defenses.
One brazen cowboy alone isn’t going to reverse the fact UNLV hasn’t allowed less than an average of 32.5 points in a season since — think about this — Dick Cheney was actually vice president and not just Christian Bale on the big screen.
And yet if culture is indeed the origin for discernible progress, UNLV could do far worse than having more folks like Viramontes running around.
“You have to be excited to play defense, not afraid to speak your mind and make some noise with your pads and show leadership when you’re on the field,” said defensive coordinator Tim Skipper. “Vic fits that bill. He can do all of that.
“It was never a slam dunk that we would get him — it was about working really hard to build a relationship, about showing him that picture of the finish line.”
Viramontes is a good start.
Now, it’s time they all “cowboy up.”
Contact columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702383-4618. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.