UNLV Rebels Football Announce Quarter-Century Team: Special Teams

The UNLV Rebels football team is rolling out their UNLV Football Quarter-Century Team this week. Their social media team aligned it with their scheduled bye week to give the fans something to engage with during the downtime. They started naming the team on Wednesday and will finish up on Sunday. The chosen players are being announced on the team's official social media pages. The next group we are covering is the special teamers

The criteria, according to the UNLV Rebels official website:

"Rebels who played at least one season between 2000 and 2024 were eligible for the Quarter-Century Team. The 27 players included were chosen by a select committee made up of longtime media members and staffers.

The team is made up of five offensive linemen, two wide receivers, three running backs, one tight end and two quarterbacks because voting for that final position was too close to call. Defensively, there are three linemen, four linebackers, two safeties and two cornerbacks. The team is rounded out by one kicker, one punter and one return man.

The UNLV Football Quarter-Century Team will be revealed on the team's official social media channels (@unlvFootball) from Wednesday through Sunday."

Special Teamers

KR/PR Jacob De Jesus (2023 - 2024)

PK Jose Pizano (2023)

P Ray Cheetany (1999 - 2000)

𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫-𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦: 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬

Jacob De Jesus | Jose Pizano | Ray Cheetany pic.twitter.com/E3sDfycHYn
— UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) September 26, 2025

De Jesus's true position was a wide receiver, but he thrived on special teams. However, he was still a solid contributor on offense as well. In the passing attack, during his two years in Las Vegas, he caught 96 passes for 1,118 yards and five touchdowns. He was an outstanding complement next to star wideout Ricky White III. His contributions also impacted the rushing attack. On the ground, he handled 29 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown.

However, he's on the team because of his contributions on special teams. As a kick returner with a career-long of 59 yards, he ran back 41 kicks for 509 yards. He also ran back 41 punts for 1,012 yards with a career-long of 96 yards. There is no doubt that his contributions had a major impact on the team's success in the past two seasons. This year, he is playing in the ACC for the California Golden Bears.

Pizano was the team's place kicker in 2023. He connected on 26 of 29 field goals for a 89.7% success rate. He also hit all 55 of his extra points. That was a 133 total points for the season, for an impressive 9.5 points per game.

Cheetany was the best punter the team had in the past quarter-century. He played two seasons with the team and totaled 129 punts. His yardage total for his career was 5,596 yards with an average of 43.4 yards per punt, with a career high of 45.4 yards per punt.

In 2000, he also chipped in as a kicker. He made five of seven field goal attempts and 13 of 18 extra points when filling in for the starter in emergency duty.

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