Three observations from UNLV’s spring game

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For the UNLV Rebels, the spring has been all about kicking things into gear in preparation for the new-look Mountain West.

Dan Mullen’s second year at the helm in Las Vegas comes with a fair amount of expectation, especially with some of the former top dogs in the Mountain West such as Boise State heading off to the rejuvenated Pac-12. UNLV’s strong play over the last few years have earned them an early spot as the favorite to win the conference, and a path towards being the Group of Five representative in the College Football Playoff is certainly feasible. The hope now is that UNLV can live up to those expectations when September finally rolls around.

The spring game on Saturday was an indication of what to expect from the Rebels this year, and the results showed plenty of promise.

Under center

With Anthony Colandrea parlaying a strong 2025 into a transfer to Nebraska, the Rebels find themselves looking for answers at quarterback once again.

Fellow 2025 transfer Alex Orji is still on the roster, and highly-touted Auburn transfer Jackson Arnold ensures a fun position battle up ahead. With Arnold still learning the offense and Orji recovering from injury, both impressed with touchdown passes during the scrimmage. Even three-star true freshman Derek Garcia got in on the action with a touchdown pass of his own, suggesting a bright future as a homegrown developmental passer as soon as next season.

“I thought (the quarterbacks) were pretty solid. It was Jackson’s first time running the offense, and the trainers are probably looking at me saying, ‘Alex is running more than he should be right now,’” said Mullen after the game.

Next man up

With several defensive players leaving the program, defensive coordinator Paul Guenther faces the task of finding potential playmakers to fill the gaps.

One of the players who emerged as a potential solution during the game was sophomore safety Logan Christensen, who came away with the sole takeaway of the afternoon. Aamaris Brown served as a ball magnet in the secondary last season, and the end result was him joining the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent. Once Mullen, Guenther and crew identify potential stars, all that will remain is creating a system that will maximize their strengths.

“One of the things defensively is that we have created some depth,” Mullen said about how the defense has come along this spring.

“There are a couple of spots we still need to clean up but there’s going to be that comfort feeling during this next break between now and training camp about who can do what and how can we can put them in position to make a lot of plays and how can we create the depth where we can roll a lot of guys through on the defensive side of the ball."

Support system

Despite the spring game being more of a showcase for the team, over 3,000 fans showed up at Rebel Park outside the Fertitta Football Complex for the event.

It shows just how far UNLV has come as a program, going from overlooked to a team worthy of national attention annually. The athletics department has built a culture of sustainable success, and they are witnessing firsthand the benefits of putting their resources to good use. Now, the hope is that the UNLV faithful will keep that same energy in the fall at Allegiant Stadium when the games count.

“It’s pretty special and I think it shows the buy-in from the Rebel fans and belief in our football program and what we’re trying to build. Hopefully that’s going to continue into the season — have the excitement roll over and everybody wants to come out to see exciting college football at Allegiant Stadium,” said Mullen.

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