UNLV Is College Football's Most Intriguing Program

With a remade roster, Dan Mullen is looking to claim a Mountain West title

UNLV Rebels head coach Dan Mullen / UNLV Athletics

UNLV is the most intriguing college football program in 2025.

Dan Mullen being the head coach in Las Vegas probably wasn't on many people's bingo cards for 2025, but the former Florida head coach is in town and has put a spotlight on the Rebels that they have never seen before.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders earned a lot of publicity a couple of offseasons ago when he came to Boulder and completely flipped the entire Buffaloes roster. It's a new era in college athletics, and Coach Prime's rebuild was one of the first examples of it.

When Barry Odom arrived at UNLV, he worked the transfer portal in similar ways, and the Rebels saw immediate results. Odom took the Rebels from 5-7 to 9-4 in 2023, and then he led them to arguably their best season ever in 2024 as UNLV went 11-3.

The Rebels won 20 games in two years under Odom. That's why he's now at Purdue. Enter Mullen.

With the loss of Odom, one would expect a big setback. But in this new era, in which transfers can make for an immediate rebuild, a program can maintain success after losing a successful head coach. And UNLV replaced Odom with someone who is a proven commodity. Mullen and his staff worked the portal hard, bringing in a number of former blue-chip prospects and former power conference players, including:

QB: Anthony Colandrea (Virginia) and Alex Orji (Michigan)
RB: Jaylon Glover (Utah) and Keyvone Lee (Penn State/Mississippi State)
WR: JoJo Earle (TCU/Alabama), Taeshaun Lyons (Utah), Koy Moore (LSU/Auburn/Western Kentucky), Troy Omeire (Texas/Arizona State), Daejon Reynolds (Florida/Pittsburgh)
DL: Tunmise Adeleye (Texas A&M/Texas State), Chief Borders (Florida/Pittsburgh), Jalen Lee (LSU)
LB: Isaiah Patterson (UCLA), Elias Rudolph (Miami, FL)
DB: Denver Harris (Texas A&M/UTSA), Jake Pope (Georgia), Laterrance Welch (LSU/Arizona State)

That's a ton of talent to acquire in one offseason, especially for a Group of Five program. The challenge will be for Mullen and his staff to make this a cohesive outfit in all three phases, as none of them have played with each other before.

One thing to expect: this will be a fun offense to watch under young coordinator Corey Dennis.

It's hard to project how much success UNLV will have in 2025. But one thing is certain: it's the most intriguing team in the country.

Read More UNLV Rebels Football News On SI:

Dan Mullen Opens Up About His Coaching Comeback With UNLV Rebels

Dan Mullen Limits Transfer Departures, Keeps UNLV Football Roster Intact

Dan Mullen Embraces Las Vegas In Building UNLV Football Culture