Breaking: Former 5-Star Quarterback Prospect Jackson Arnold Commits To UNLV Rebels

UNLV Rebels head football coach Dan Mullen may have done it again. He may have found his next quarterback for 2026 in former Auburn Tigers quarterback Jackson Arnold. Prior to transferring to the Tigers in 2025, he spent two seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners. After a disappointing start to his career, he will now move from a Power 4 conference to the Mountain West Conference.

Field general 🪖

Welcome to Las Vegas @_JacksonArnold_ 🎰 pic.twitter.com/ZcdAvT2qfW
— UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) January 7, 2026

This is a strategy Mullen found great success with in his first season at UNLV. He added Anthony Colandrea from the Virginia Cavaliers, who went on to be named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, and helped the Rebels get to their third consecutive Mountain West Championship game.

Colandrea came from the ACC, but created a void in the Rebels' depth chart after entering the transfer portal and recently committing to play his final season of eligibility with the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Big 10. Despite coming off a subpar year, Arnold will look to take his game to the next level in Mullen's offensive scheme. With the Tigers in 2025, he threw for 1,309 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions, and rushed for 311 yards and eight more touchdowns.

Arnold was an elite recruit coming out of high school back in 2023, and Mullen will look to help him live up to his potential. He was a five-star-plus prospect and the No. 8 overall prospect in the nation for the recruiting class of 2023. That was enough to make him the No. 4 quarterback prospect and the No. 2 prospect coming out of the state of Texas. Things could click for Arnold without the massive expectations he faced last year in the SEC. A change could be exactly what he needs.

With Arnold now Las Vegas-bound, Mullen will hope that he is able to secure the starting quarterback position at UNLV. We expect there to once again be an open quarterback competition at the Rebels' training camp this summer. Just because they acquired Arnold does not necessarily mean that Mullen is done filling out his QB depth chart through the transfer portal. Last season, we saw them bring in both Colandrea and Alex Orji from Michigan. Orji also hopes to gain another year of eligibility and return to the team for the 2026 season after seeing his 2025 season end due to an early-season leg injury.

More UNLV Rebels On SI News