UNLV Rebels Defense Ranks 4th In The Mountain West

The UNLV Rebels football team had nearly a complete overhaul of their defensive roster this offseason. When Dan Mullen took over as the head coach after Barry Odom left to take the Purdue Boilermakers job, he hit the transfer portal hard and loaded up with Power 4 talent. He wasn't left with much of a choice after the team lost so many key players.

The biggest loss was linebacker Jackson Woodard, who is the reigning Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year and arguably the greatest defensive player in the school's history. He graduated after his historic season and is now competing for a roster spot at the Houston Texans training camp. They also lost star safety Johnathan Baldwin, who now looks poised to lock up a spot on the Green Bay Packers' 53-man roster over the next few weeks. Their defense also lost other key pieces to the transfer portal, like safety Jalen Catalon and Charles Correa. So the rebuild was necessary.

The two returning starters are linebacker Marsel McDuffie and safety Kodi Decambara. McDuffie is projected to be an on-field leader and one of the best defensive players in the Mountain West this season. These returning Rebels will be surrounded by Power 4 talent like edge rusher Chief Borders, cornerback Denver Harris, and safety Jake Pope.

While there is no shortage of talent, a defense almost completely rebuilt through the transfer portal is also going to have no shortage of question marks. Recently, Mountain West Connection ranked all the defenses in the conference and UNLV came in at No. 4 in the Mountain West.

Mountain West Connection's Take

"It’s been said many times over the course of the offseason, but the Rebels are mostly unknown heading into the 2025 season. This is because they have a new coaching staff and a roster that is predominately full of transfers and true freshmen. It’s hard to know exactly what to expect from UNLV as far as scheme and production. However, one thing is clear, the defense will be full of talent and potential."

While we lean on the side of optimism due to faith in this new coaching staff, it's understandable to be a bit skeptical. They didn't have a negative, but more of an ambiguous one. Until the Rebels step on the field and answer some of these questions with their play, these questions will remain. Hopefully, we get some answers in their first game on August 23.

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