The two ex-Gavilan players are the only Division 1
representatives for the team
Gilroy – Bradley Niles and T.J. Monroe were high school teammates at Piedmont Hills. They were teammates at Gavilan.
They’re no longer teammates but they are the only former Rams now playing Division 1 football. Niles is at University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and Monroe is at University of Texas-El Paso.
Niles got off to a slow start this season, missing four games because of a broken bone in his foot. But the 6-0, 245-pound middle linebacker made his presence felt in the Rebels most recent game against Colorado State, so much so that he is now listed as the starter.
“We were impressed with how well he came in and helped control Colorado State’s running game (the Rams rushed for 130 yards),” UNLV defensive coordinator Vic Shealy said. “Now that he is healthy, he has a chance to carve out his role as a leader at the middle linebacker spot. We have great expectations for him not only for the rest of the year but for 2007.”
Niles, whose first action came against Nevada-Reno a week earlier, had a big game against CSU with 10 tackles and 1/2 quarterback sack. On a team that is not deep in linebackers, Niles is a valuable player. His two-game totals are 14 tackles and one sack.
Niles participated in spring drills at UNLV and entered preseason as one of the team’s top linebackers. The injury set him back.
“It was the fifth day of camp,” Niles said by telephone. “It was real tough because I had worked so hard during the summer. I was doing well and ready to compete. All I could do was watch and ride the bike. It was a downer.
“When I started healing, I got more enthusiastic about it. I was ready to play and begin to achieve my goals.”
He said he likes to take his goals one step at a time. But they are lofty goals, nevertheless. The first was being a starter, the second is leading the team in tackles. The third is all-conference honors. Finally, he would like to follow in the footsteps of former Rebels’ linebacker Adam Seward, who is in the NFL and started last week for the Carolina Panthers.
Gavilan coach John Lango isn’t surprised that Niles has asserted himself. When he came to Gavilan two years ago, Niles was assigned uniform No. 44, the same worn by Jeff Ulbrich, now with the 49ers, and Brett Nichols, who went on to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and is now strength and conditioning coach.
“He brings speed and intensity,” Lango said of Niles. “We were 3-7 last year and he was defensive player of the year in our conference, so that says plenty about him. Some look at him as not tall enough and not fast enough, but they said that about Ulbrich, too.”
Lango cautioned that he’s not comparing the two. And yet there are similarities. Both were good in the classroom, both were willing to outwork others, both have good speed and are students of the game.
Monroe is a backup weakside linebacker at UTEP. He has seen action against San Diego State and New Mexico. His climb up the depth chart coincided with his teammate and cousin, Jeremy Jones, breaking a leg against Texas Tech.
“It’s tough on T.J.,”” Lango said, “because they didn’t move him to linebacker until the summer. It’s always a transition when you go to the next level. T.J. is very versatile. He played receiver/defensive back in high school, we had him at strong safety as a freshman and free safety as a sophomore and got him ready to play at wide receiver if needed.”
Niles said he keeps in touch with Monroe, who has switched from defensive secondary to linebacker. Niles, Monroe and Jones were all teammates at Piedmont Hills.
