UNLV Rebels Football Announce Quarter-Century Team: Quarterbacks

The UNLV Rebels are heading into their Week 5 bye. With the scheduled time off, the team is announcing their UNLV Football Quarter-Century Team. The release of the team began on Wednesday and will conclude on Sunday. The honorees are being announced on the team's official social media pages. On Wednesday, the team announced the offensive linemen, the running backs, and the tight ends. Next up, we have the quarterbacks.

The criteria, according to the UNLV Rebels official website:

"Rebels who played at least one season between 2000 and 2024 were eligible for the Quarter-Century Team. The 27 players included were chosen by a select committee made up of longtime media members and staffers.

The team is made up of five offensive linemen, two wide receivers, three running backs, one tight end and two quarterbacks because voting for that final position was too close to call. Defensively, there are three linemen, four linebackers, two safeties and two cornerbacks. The team is rounded out by one kicker, one punter and one return man.

The UNLV Football Quarter-Century Team will be revealed on the team's official social media channels (@unlvFootball) from Wednesday through Sunday."

Quarterbacks

Jason Thomas (2000 - 2002)
Hajj-Malik Williams (2024)

𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫-𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦: 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬

Jason Thomas | Hajj-Malik Williams pic.twitter.com/cXowctq4Fi
— UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) September 25, 2025

Thomas was the Rebels quarterback at the start of the century after transferring from USC. Over the course of his three-year career, he threw for 4,997 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions. On the ground, he added an additional 1,528 yards and 24 touchdowns.

His best season was 2000 by a long shot, both through the air and on the ground. In 2000, he completed 52.7% of his passes for 1,708 yards, 14 TDs, and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 599 yards and 11 TDs. That season, he led the Rebels to their first postseason in six years, where they defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Las Vegas Bowl. Unfortunately, after that 2000 season, he underwent surgery and never quite looked the same after. Who knows what heights he could have reached if he had never gotten injured?

Hajj-Malik Williams joined the Rebels after transferring to UNLV for his senior season. He was only expected to serve as a backup to star quarterback Matthew Sluka; however, he ended up leaving the team because of a highly publicized NIL dispute that ended in a messy split. This led to Williams being thrust into the starting role. He more than made the most of his opportunity as a starter. Not only did he play well, but he also led the team to a Mountain West Conference Championship game and earned himself an invite to the Las Vegas Raiders rookie minicamp.

During his one magical season with the Rebels, the dual-threat quarterback completed 59.5% of his passes for 1,941 yards, 19 TDs, and just five interceptions, while also rushing for an additional 851 yards and nine TDs. Despite only playing for the team for one season, this honor is well deserved.

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