UNLV Tabs Oregon OC Marcus Arroyo as Next Head Coach

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

LAS VEGAS (AP) — UNLV has hired Oregon offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo as its next head football coach.

Athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois announced Wednesday that Arroyo will succeed Tony Sanchez, who was fired Nov. 25 after going 19-40 in five seasons.

The 39-year-old Arroyo led an Oregon offense that was 15th nationally in scoring this season and he helped the Ducks land the Pac-12′s top-ranked recruiting class the past two seasons.

UNLV is looking to raise the profile of its football program with the Rebels set to begin playing home games in the stadium being built for the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, who are moving to Las Vegas for next season. The school also opened a $34 million on-campus football complex this fall.

“UNLV Athletics is a department on the rise, and my family and I are thrilled to be a part of the Rebel family during this special time,” Arroyo said in a statement. “The uniqueness of Las Vegas is unrivaled and the opportunity to train, practice, and compete, in some of the country’s best facilities in one of the world’s most vibrant cities cannot be understated. We will work tirelessly to elevate UNLV football to the championship caliber program that it is positioned to be.”

Arroyo served as Oregon’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach the past three seasons. He previously coached running backs at Oklahoma State, was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ interim offensive coordinator in 2014 and was the offensive coordinator at Southern Mississippi the year before.

A former San Jose State quarterback, Arroyo also had stints with California, Wyoming and his alma mater. He was a graduate assistant at San Jose State in 2005 after serving as the offensive coordinator at Prairie View A&M. His playing career coincided with Reed-Francois’ tenure as director of compliance at San Jose State.

“It’s remarkable to see things come full circle 20 years later,” Reed-Francois said, “We set out to find a teacher and a competitor with the character, competence, energy and intellect to bring out the best in our 105 young men and recruit and develop the next group of Rebel football student-athletes. We looked for a leader that is a great evaluator of talent, who can sell what makes UNLV, our community, and our program unique, and helps develop and prepare our student-athletes for the next level.”