Since taking over at UNLV, Dan Mullen has emphasized the importance of keeping local players home to play for the Rebels. Linebacker Andre Porter is one of those homegrown athletes who also has a family history with the program.

Born and raised in Las Vegas, Porter attended Liberty High School before committing to the Rebels, donning the same colors his father, Donnell Porter, wore during his time at UNLV in the early 1990s.

For Donnell, seeing his son follow a similar path at the collegiate level has been special.

“I think that it is a full-circle moment,” Donnell said. “I understand what it takes to wear that uniform, and I want him to just create his own path that makes me proud but at the same time I want him to understand that he is building his own legacy as a player at UNLV.”

Andre is making a name for himself with the Scarlet and Gray, who have a key Mountain West matchup on Saturday at Air Force. The 6-foot-2 sophomore appeared in all 14 games during his freshman campaign, recording three total tackles and a sack against in-state rival Nevada.

This season, Andre is beginning to earn both local and national recognition for his play on a young UNLV defense. His breakout performance against North Dakota State in Week 6 included a pick-6 that accounted for the Rebels’ only touchdown in a 13-7 victory.

“Couch just put me in the right position,” Andre said. “I actually did the same thing in practice on Thursday. They say practice how you play and I always say I have the best hands and with the way (Nathan Hayes) threw it the ball just fell into my hands.”

In addition to his defensive score, Andre recorded a tackle for loss, a sack and a forced fumble, earning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honors. He joined Tre Fulton and Cam Santee, who earned the same recognition earlier this season.

The honors continued Tuesday morning when Porter was named the Bronko Nagurski Trophy National Player of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America.

For Andre, the recognition reflects the work he put in during the offseason.

“It means a lot especially with the help of my teammates, I couldn’t have been there without the help of my teammates,” Andre said. “A lot of my work this offseason and all of the development that I have had has helped me develop as a player in my run game and my pass rush.”

Beyond the recognition, Andre is proud to follow in his father’s footsteps while working to build his own legacy early in his collegiate career.

“It also means a lot having my dad come from UNLV, it means a lot just being a legacy player and trying to just be better than him,” Andre said. “It is one of the reasons why I came here and he wore the number 42 so that is why I wear it.

“He harps on me to be better than he was so that is one of my biggest goals is just to make him proud and be able to say ‘my son did it.’”

For Donnell, helping his son navigate college football has meant drawing on his own experiences at UNLV and using them to guide Andre through his development as both a player and a person.

“I had to overcome challenges at UNLV because I lost a spot and I had to regain it,” Donnell said. “I tried to teach him some of my challenges so he doesn’t make the same mistakes but I just try to guide him and support him and remind him what he is capable of doing.

“Ultimately I want him to just look back and know that he made the most of his opportunities and become even a better man than I could ever be.”

Andre’s recent success has put him in the national spotlight, but Mullen sees qualities in the sophomore that extend beyond his production on the field.

“Since we have got here (Andre) is an unbelievable effort guy,” Mullen said. “You talk about a guy with a motor that is going to go as hard as he can every single day he steps onto the field and into the building no matter what part of practice it is. He is going in and maximizing effort.

“We’re going to play with relentless effort and we are going to have passion for the game of football. So we’re a great program for (Andre) because he represents what we believe as a program and so when those guys start having success it is fantastic for everybody in the room.”