Former Washington DE Josh Shirley transfers to UNLV, eligible immediately

Over a month after deciding to leave Washington, Josh Shirley has found a landing spot for the 2014 season.

Shirley, a fifth-year senior defensive end, will suit up for UNLV and is eligible immediately. The Rebels confirmed the move on Friday.

"We think Josh will help us on the defensive line," UNLV head coach Bobby Hauck said. "Our people did a good job getting him admitted to graduate school and getting him out here today. We appreciate everyone's efforts and I think it shows a good spirit of cooperation on our campus.”

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Shirley registered 74 tackles, 25 tackles for loss and 18 sacks in 38 total games at Washington. A native of Fontana, Calif., Shirley was a four-star recruit who originally signed with UCLA out of high school. He registered 8.5 sacks as a redshirt freshman for the Huskies, but his production and playing time decreased as his career went on.

“I’m going to try to benefit the team any way I can,” Shirley said.

Shirley graduated from Washington, so he utilized the NCAA graduate transfer rule for his final year of eligibility. Hauck is pleased to add a player with Shirley’s experience onto the Rebels’ defensive line.

“He's a veteran who has played a lot of games and it's always a good thing to not have to rely on freshmen. He's going to give us a boost," Hauck said.

UNLV, who went 7-5 in 2013, is coming off its first winning season and bowl appearance since 2000. A low APR score initially meant that the Rebels would not be eligible for postseason play in 2014, but a recalculation of the program’s APR score in late June overturned that ruling.

For more UNLV news, visit Rebel-Net.com.

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