Fred Rouse's football career has officially gotten a fresh start.
The highly-acclaimed wideout went through UTEP drills for the first time on Saturday in the Miners' second practice of the spring.
Rouse was regarded as the top wide receiver in the country by most publications coming out of Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Fla. ESPN.com analyst Tom Lemming rated him the no. 6 overall player in the country. The former Parade All-American appeared in 11 games for Florida State in 2005 before having some personal problems and resurfacing at UTEP.
The 6-3, 195-pound Rouse admitted he was rusty on Saturday, but happy to be back on the field.
"It was my first practice since before the Orange Bowl in December of 2005," he said.
"Fred looked fine," UTEP coach Mike Price said. "He needs to get into physical shape. He has soft hands. He's a pretty good player and he has a really good attitude."
"I made some mistakes in the past, but I'm ready to get back," Rouse said. "It feels great. I'm a little rusty from taking a year off, but I'm looking forward to showing people I'm the top wide receiver in the country."
Price was pleased with Saturday's practice. "Great effort by our kids," he said. "We're improving. Tomorrow we'll be hitting, going back to blocking and tackling."
The Miners will be in full pads for the first time this spring on Sunday. Practice will start at 3 p.m. and Price said the team will scrimmage around 4 p.m.
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