UNLV AD Says School Unable to Pay for Final Three Seasons of Dan Mullen's Contract

Befitting the spirit of their city, the Rebels will need cash to cover their gamble.

Dan Mullen points during Florida's 34–20 loss to No. 2 Georgia on Nov. 2, 2021. / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

UNLV is presumably eager to build on its best football season in history—but in true Las Vegas fashion, the Rebels will need cash to cover their latest gamble.

The school can only cover the first two years of the five-year contract it handed to new coach Dan Mullen on Dec. 12, athletic director Erick Harper said in a Board of Regents meeting reported on Wednesday morning by Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Mullen is due to make $17.5 million over the life of the contract for an average annual value of $3.5 million per year. UNLV's athletic department is at least $26 million in debt.

Per Akers, the Rebels hope "to raise money through donations and increased revenue from football games"—and will seek to increase ticket prices to that end.

UNLV went 11-3 in 2024, briefly cracking the AP top 20 and narrowly missing the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff while posting its best record since 1984. Coach Barry Odom rode the Rebels' success to the Purdue coaching job, which he took on Dec. 8.

---

More College Football on Sports Illustrated

feed