Signing day: Pack adds Manogue star, LB LaDuke

New year, new plan for head coach Ken Wilson and the Nevada football program.

A year after bringing in a mostly last-minute class of 20-plus players — many of whom were plucked from the transfer portal — Wilson announced a more traditional signing day class on Wednesday. The Wolf Pack added 16 players to the program to begin Wilson’s second year at the helm, 12 from the high school level.

Among the highlights of the class:

• WR Marshaun Brown (Bishop Manogue): He was the only Northern Nevada signee Wednesday. He caught 62 passes in each of the last two seasons for the Miners and finished with 1,860 career receiving yards.

• WR Nate Burleson II (Newcastle, Wash.): The name should sound familiar — his father, Nate Sr., was a star wideout for Nevada from 2000-2002.

• QB Jax Leatherwood (San Diego): Quarterback continues to be a question mark for the Pack, which will lose Nate Cox and got uneven performances from returner Shane Illingworth. It remains to be seen whether a freshman will be allowed to compete for the job, but it’s not exactly a radical concept — Carson Strong comes to mind.

• CB Jonah Lewis (Palmdale, Calif.): Lewis turned down some Power 5 offers to sign with Nevada. He’s generally seen as the player with a high ceiling, and one who could become a contributor right away.

• DL/LB D’Angelo Davis (Carson, Calif.): Davis was a stat-generating machine in high school. He was credited with 65 tackles for loss in the last three years of his prep career.

• LB Jackson LaDuke (Oregon transfer): Wilson, who came to Nevada after serving as an Oregon assistant, continues to add former Ducks to the Pack roster. LaDuke starred at Spanish Springs before spending three seasons at Oregon.

The rest of Wednesday’s signing class included:

RB Amini Amone (Salt Lake City); DB Hezekiah Anahu-Ambrosio (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii); OL John Bolles (Daly City, Calif.); CB Michael Coats (Biloxi, Miss.); OL RJ Esmon (Santa Margarita, Calif.); DB Journey McKoy (Pittsburg, Calif.); DT Sosefo Moeaki (Portland); RB Conner Noah (Kelso, Wash.); OL Josiah Timoteo (Waianae, Hawaii); and DB Bishop Turner (Glendora, Calif.)

Wednesday was the first day of the early signing period for NCAA Division I football programs. The “regular” signing period runs from Feb. 1 to April 1.

Nevada finished 2-10 last season, Wilson’s first at the helm. Wilson was hired in the first week of December 2021; he and his new staff were left with just a few days to announce the program’s 2022 signing class.

The Wolf Pack opens the 2023 season with a road game at USC on Sept. 2.