UNLV Rebels Head Coach Dan Mullen: "The Transfer Portal Can Be Very Positive"

The UNLV Rebels football season is almost over. All they have left is the 2025 Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl in Texas on Tuesday, December 23, against the Ohio Bobcats. As we wait for the Rebels' bowl game, let's take a look at what head coach Dan Mullen had to say to the UNLV official website about the changes to college football since he last coached.

UNLV Rebels Head Coach Dan Mullen On His Time With ESPN And Returning To Coaching

"There was a little bit, which is one reason why I spent the last few years doing TV — I wanted to let some things sort out and see how [the new system] was working. Doing the ESPN stuff gave me a chance to assess it from a 30,000-foot viewpoint rather than having to deal with it on a daily basis.

That helped me develop an understanding of the different game that I would be getting back into. And by “different game” I don’t mean the one that you play on Saturdays or when you’re on the practice field; that’s still the same. I mean you have to run your program differently than you did in the past."

Mullen On The Advantages Of The Transfer Portal

"I also think the transfer portal can be very positive. For one thing, you can fix your program quicker if you make a mistake in recruiting.

The troubling part is how certain things have been set up.

The fact that football’s three-week transfer window [in winter] starts in December instead of January — which would align more with a university’s calendar — makes no sense. Also, because the lifespan of a team now is one year, January to January, that should be the only window; there shouldn’t be a spring transfer portal.

Now, that second one actually helped us this year; we lost very little and added some great pieces. But I believe what’s good for the game is to have one window. That way our student-athletes understand when they sign with a school that it’s a [minimum] commitment of exactly one year.

How players are being paid also needs to be looked at. As originally designed, players could only profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL). The reality is — and everyone knew it would end up this way — that it’s a pay-for-play model. That leads to a lot of discrepancy and imbalance, and I don’t love that."

Mullen On Getting Fans More Attached To Your Program Instead Of Players In The Transfer Portal Age

"That’s where you encourage your fan base to become more attached to the program.

Now, one part that is going to be difficult — and we’re going to see this become more of a thing the further down the road we get — is how players are viewed by fans and the university in a historical context. For instance, here at UNLV, Randall Cunningham is a Rebel through and through. Tim Tebow is a Florida Gator through and through. Now you’re going to start seeing fans say things like, “Man, he was awesome for us! But he was only here for two years. And now he also has an attachment to another fan base.

So when it comes to fan connections with players, it’s going to be less of a year-to-year issue and more about how fans will have fewer historical ties to all-time greats."

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