Former UVA QB Anthony Colandrea Will Play This Saturday In UNLV's Season Opener vs Idaho State

Colandrea will split time with Michigan transfer Alex Orji in the Rebels first game this Saturday

Nov 23, 2024; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Anthony Colandrea (10) runs with the ball against the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the second half at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Former UVA quarterback Anthony Colandrea transferred to UNLV this offseason to play for former Florida head coach Dan Mullen, but he was unable to win the starting job outright. Today, Rebels head coach Dan Mullen announced that both Colandrea and Michigan transfer Alex Orji will play in their season opener against Idaho State.

“They have similarities, but they have differences in their games,” Mullen said. “Both guys will play in Game 1 for us, for sure. It’s a long season. But I want to make sure on gameday that what I see in practice they can do on the field in a game and see how people respond to that.”

NEW: UNLV is set to play Michigan transfer QB Alex Orji and Virginia transfer QB Anthony Colandrea in Week 0 vs. Idaho State, Dan Mullen announced.

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— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) August 20, 2025

Last season, Colandrea threw for over 2,100 yards with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He played over 700 snaps according to PFF and finished with a pedestrian 64.2 overall grade. While he was far from perfect, Colandrea was not afraid to take chances and also added a dual-threat element to the position, rushing for nearly 300 yards and a couple of touchdowns.

Did Virginia upgrade this offseason?

Nov 9, 2024; Denton, Texas, USA; North Texas Mean Green quarterback Chandler Morris (4) throws a pass against the Army Black Knights during the second half at DATCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

While Colandrea flashed at times for the Cavaliers, he could never stay consistent and that is why Tony Elliott brought in Chandler Morris this offseason. Morris took the starting job immediately and has Virginia fans hopeful for the season.

There is a chance that Morris could in fact be a huge upgrade at the position, but he only has one real season to show for it. Morris only played in five total games during his lone season with Oklahoma and then transferred to TCU. He played in four games for the Horned Frogs in 2021, including a standout performance in an upset win over No. 12 Baylor. Morris was 29-41 for 461 yards and two touchdowns in that game.

He would battle an injury that would limit his playing time in both 2022 (when the Horner Frogs made an appearance in the national championship game) and then in 2023, when he only played in seven games. Morris threw for 1,532 yards, 12 touchdowns, and five interceptions while completing 66% of his passes. He would then transfer to North Texas, where he would have the most productive season of his collegiate career.

For the Mean Green last season, Morris threw for 3,774 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while completing 63.1% of his passes. He also had 242 yards rushing and four touchdowns. According to PFF, Morris finished as the highest-grade player on the North Texas offense with 78.9 grade in 887 total snaps at quarterback.

It comes down to if 1) Morris can stay healthy and 2) Was his production a product of the kind of teams he was facing on the field last season? I would argue that when he was healthy at TCU, he did have games where he put up big numbers, so last season might not have just been a product of facing weak defenses. Morris has more experience and has been more productive than either Colandrea or Muskett was.