SI Grades UNLV Rebels Head Coach Dan Mullen As The Best First-Year Head Coach In The Nation

SI's Pat Forde recently gave his grades on the first-year head coaches around college football. He named UNLV Rebels' head coach Dan Mullen the best first-year head coach in the country. Mullen has done an outstanding job in his first year in Las Vegas, and Forde agrees. There aren't many who don't.

From the job he's already done recruiting to the talent he was able to bring in through the transfer portal, the offseason couldn't have gone any better for Mullen or the school. The success has now carried over into the season, with the team currently sitting at 5 - 0 and 1 - 0 in the Mountain West Conference. This is what he had to say about Mullen and his performance through one offseason and five games.

SI's Pat Forde On UNLV Rebels First-Year Head Coach Dan Mullen

"The former coach at Florida and Mississippi State is 5–0 in Vegas. That’s the Rebels’ best start since 1974, when this was a Division II program. (Something The Dash has never seen before: That ’74 UNLV team played 10 consecutive home games from Sept. 28 through Nov. 30.)

The competition has been soft in this 5–0 start, but beating UCLA looks better today than it did last week. The rebuilt Rebels, who had just five returning starters, have been winning in the margins—they’re tied for the national lead in takeaways with 13, and blocked two punts for touchdowns against Wyoming on Saturday. They’ve also been much better on third down than their opponents, converting 49% of the time and allowing a 22% conversion rate.

Mullen won a lot of games in the SEC, so landing him at UNLV after a stint in the TV analyst chair was a coup. The challenge might be keeping him. Barry Odom elevated the program but left after two seasons; the Rebels would greatly benefit from some coaching continuity."

We agree with Forde, who gave Mullen the recognition he deserves as the best first-year head coach in the country. He has done an incredible job so far, and we have no reason to believe that won't continue. However, he does have the concern that most people seem to have. The Rebels have to find a way to keep their head coach in Las Vegas, and continuing to build their program instead of using them as a stepping stone to a bigger job.

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