LAS VEGAS — UNLV came out of 2025 with the kind of season programs normally try to build on, not reconstruct. The Rebels won 10 games, produced nearly 6,000 yards of offense and finished with 13 interceptions and 29 sacks on defense, giving them a roster that looked capable of carrying real momentum into another year.
Then the offseason changed almost everything. The starting quarterback left, most of the receiving production disappeared, eight offensive linemen departed and the defense lost its leading tackler along with several of its most disruptive players. By the time the transfer portal settled, UNLV still had pieces from the 2025 team, but the shape of the roster looked completely different.
That is what makes the 2026 season difficult to evaluate. This is not a full teardown because the Rebels return legitimate production at running back, linebacker, safety and kicker, and the staff attacked the portal aggressively enough to replace many of the bodies that left. It is also not a normal continuation of a 10-win season because the most important position groups on both sides of the ball have been substantially rebuilt.
The question entering 2026 is not whether UNLV has talent. It does. The question is how quickly that talent can become a functional team.
Quarterback Starts Everything
Anthony Colandrea was the center of UNLV’s offense in 2025. He threw for 3,275 yards, rushed for another 621 and accounted for 32 total touchdowns in 13 games, giving the Rebels production as both a passer and runner that shaped nearly everything they did offensively.
Cameron Friel, Gael Ochoa and Alex Orji also appeared at quarterback, but Colandrea was the engine of the offense. Replacing almost 3,900 yards of total offense in one offseason is not a minor adjustment, especially when the quarterback taking over will also be working behind a rebuilt offensive line and throwing to a receiving corps that lost most of its production.
UNLV responded by bringing in Jackson Arnold, who transferred from Oklahoma by way of Auburn and immediately became the biggest addition to the room. Orji returns after rushing for 42 yards and a touchdown in limited action last season, while Sebastian Circo comes back as a redshirt freshman with another year of development. True freshman Derek Garcia also joins the room.
There is competition and there are options, but there is not yet a proven answer. Whoever wins the job will be asked to take control of an offense that is changing around him at the same time, which makes quarterback the most important question on the roster entering September.
Running Back Gives UNLV Some Stability
Running back is one of the few offensive rooms that still looks familiar.
Jai’Den Thomas returns after rushing for 985 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games. He also added 221 receiving yards and finished with 1,206 all-purpose yards, giving UNLV a proven lead back while several other position groups are being rebuilt.
Jaylon Glover also returns after contributing 379 rushing yards and 312 kick-return yards. Together, Thomas and Glover give the Rebels a combination of production and experience that should help steady an offense dealing with turnover almost everywhere else.
UNLV did lose Keyvone Lee, who graduated after rushing for 433 yards and six touchdowns, while Rogerick Ray also departed. Darrien Jones, Kamran Williams, Mohammad Maali and incoming freshman Skylar Lendsey-Vann round out the room behind Thomas and Glover.
The group still needs depth to develop, but it does not need to establish an identity from scratch. That matters because UNLV can enter the season knowing its backfield already has two players who understand the offense and have produced at this level.
The Receiver Room Lost Most of Its Production
The turnover at wide receiver becomes more significant when the numbers are placed together.
Jaden Bradley left after catching 54 passes for 869 yards. Troy Omeire produced 505 yards and five touchdowns, while DaeDae Reynolds added 470 yards and five scores. JoJo Earle contributed 218 receiving yards and another 92 on the ground, while Koy Moore finished with 12 catches for 120 yards. Traivon Dyson and Rashawn Jackson also departed after contributing during the season.
That is more than 2,000 yards of receiving production gone from the roster.
DeAngelo Irvin Jr. and Taeshaun Lyons become the most important returning pieces. Irvin caught 18 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown last season, while Lyons finished with 13 catches for 222 yards and three scores. Kayden McGee, Danny Boden, Cassidee Miles, David Titone-Perez and Tavian McNair also return.
The staff supplemented the room with Troy Stellato, Amorion Walker, Taz Reddicks, Tatum Bell Jr., Vincent Carner and Peyton Zachary through the portal. There is enough talent in the group to believe UNLV can replace some of the production that left, but that process will require timing with a quarterback who is also learning a new offense.
That is what makes the receiver turnover more complicated than simply replacing catches and yards. The new quarterback and the new receiving rotation have to develop together, and that chemistry cannot be manufactured without reps.
Tight End Has a New Headliner
UNLV also lost its two most productive tight ends from last season.
Var’Keyes Gumms caught 11 passes for 168 yards and three touchdowns, doing much of his damage near the goal line. Nick Elksnis added 10 receptions for 120 yards and two scores, giving the Rebels another reliable option at the position.
Both are gone.
Keyan Burnett arrives as the most prominent replacement. The 6-foot-6 transfer comes to UNLV from Kansas by way of Arizona and should have an immediate opportunity to establish himself as a receiving option, particularly in the red zone where Gumms had been effective.
Jae Beasley II, Matt Byrnes and Velltray Jefferson return to provide experience and depth, while freshman Andreas Diaz-Nicolaidis joins the room. The position does not carry the same attention as quarterback or offensive line, but UNLV still needs to replace five receiving touchdowns and some of the size it used around the goal line last season.
Burnett has the physical profile to become that player. How quickly he becomes comfortable in the offense will determine whether tight end remains a consistent part of the passing game.
The Offensive Line May Decide How Quickly Everything Works
No position group was reshaped more dramatically than the offensive line.
Malik McGowan, Nick Scalise, Reid Williams, James Faminu, Toby Moore, Maysan Neubauer, Dyllan Drummond and Alani Makihele all departed. Those were not simply depth pieces. They were part of the group that helped UNLV average 203 rushing yards per game and 5.6 yards per carry in 2025.
The staff responded by bringing in nine new offensive linemen. Griffin Scroggs, BJ Tolo, Colton Thomasson, Jackson Brown, Josh Haney, Eli Sanchez, Malik White, Jesus Garcia II and Mateo Bilaver joined a returning group that includes Alekai Afoa, Ace Robinson, Ed Haynes, Will Thomas, Amare Taase, Chrysanthos Fetokakis and Austin Boyd.
There are enough bodies to build a rotation, but offensive line play is not simply about having enough players. Communication, timing and trust matter as much as individual ability, and UNLV will be asking several players who have not worked together before to function as one group quickly.
That makes the line one of the biggest variables on the entire roster. If the new group settles quickly, the running backs should have room to work and the new quarterback will have enough time to develop chemistry with the receiving corps. If the line struggles early, every other offensive transition becomes more difficult.
The Rebels do not need the final five-man combination figured out immediately, but they do need the group to begin looking connected before September.
The Defensive Front Lost Its Most Disruptive Players
The defensive front also took significant losses.
Tunmise Adeleye finished with six sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss before leaving. Chief Borders led the team in quarterback hurries and added 5.5 tackles for loss, while Cohen Fuller contributed 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Ose Egbase, Waisale Muavesi, Jalen Lee and Cory Hall also departed.
Lucas Conti becomes one of the most important returning pieces after finishing with four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Landen Thomas, Elias Rudolph, Kenji Scanlan, Armand Ausbon, Andre Porter, Kal-El Togafau, Mo Abbasher, Eliah Logo, Maxwell Peterson and Jordan Covington also return.
UNLV added Herb Gray, Bryce Waters, Prin Fox, Bryce Robinson and Poe Purcell through the portal in an effort to replace what left.
The challenge is replacing disruption rather than simply replacing snaps. Adeleye and Borders gave UNLV defenders capable of changing possessions in the backfield, and the Rebels will need Conti and the incoming group to recreate some of that pressure if the front is going to resemble the one that helped produce 29 sacks last season.
Depth is there. The question is where the difference-making production comes from.
Linebacker May Be the Defense’s Biggest Question
Marsel McDuffie leaves one of the largest individual holes on the roster.
McDuffie led UNLV with 103 tackles while adding two interceptions, two sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss. He was productive in almost every area and became one of the central pieces holding the defense together.
Isaiah Patterson also departed after recording 40 tackles, while Justin Flowe, Jordan Eubanks, Bryce Edmondson and Donovan Spellman left as well. That is a significant amount of experience disappearing from one position group in a single offseason.
Blesyng Alualu-Tuiolemotu now becomes the anchor after finishing last season with 57 tackles and five tackles for loss. Kamuela Ka’aihue, Alexander Green and Jacob Beza return alongside him, while Dee Crayton, Cam Santee, Mark Iheanachor and Cole Albrecht arrived through the portal.
UNLV has enough players to rebuild the room, but replacing McDuffie’s role is about more than finding someone to make 100 tackles. The Rebels lost a player who consistently cleaned up plays, produced around the line of scrimmage and gave the defense experience in the middle.
Alualu-Tuiolemotu becomes the obvious starting point. How quickly the rest of the group develops around him may be the biggest defensive question entering the season.
The Secondary Lost Production but Still Has a Foundation
UNLV lost several important players from the secondary, beginning with Laterrance Welch and Aamaris Brown, who each recorded four interceptions last season. Brown also finished with 51 tackles and 3.5 sacks, including a 67-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Jaheem Joseph was another significant loss after recording 66 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks from the safety position. Andrew Powdrell added 59 tackles before departing, while Nijrell Eason II, Kodi DeCambra, Devin Hartsuck, Anthony Costanzo, Yasir Muhammad and Kela Moore also left.
Unlike some of the other defensive rooms, however, the secondary still has a real returning foundation.
Jake Pope is back after recording 79 tackles and four pass breakups. Quandarius Keyes returns after intercepting two passes, including a pick-six, and adding 14 tackles. Denver Harris, Mumu Bin-Wahad, Tre Fulton, Joshua Tuchek, Jordan Buchanan, Jaylen Allen, Logan Christensen and Brock DeFries also return.
The transfer additions include Landyn Cleveland, Kyron Chambers, Tony-Louis Nkuba, Avery Helm, Cameron Parodi, Darien Lewis and Tylen Mathews. That gives UNLV enough depth on paper to believe the secondary could settle more quickly than some of the other rebuilt position groups.
Pope and Keyes are particularly important because they give the Rebels two players who already understand the defense and have produced in games. If the transfers can fit around them quickly, the secondary may be one of the easier groups to stabilize despite everything that left.
Special Teams Keeps Its Most Important Piece
UNLV lost several special teams contributors, but it retained the player who provided the most stability.
Ramon Villela returns for his junior season after making 14 of 19 field goals, converting all 57 extra-point attempts and connecting from as far as 50 yards. Keeping an established kicker gives UNLV one fewer position to worry about while the rest of the roster changes around him.
The Rebels still have to replace punter Cam Brown, who averaged exactly 44 yards on 43 punts and had a long of 71. Carter Jula, Konner Melzer, Caden Costa and Andrew McIlquham also departed.
Noah Randazzo, Matt Choules, Ethan Schwartz and Tyson Jacobson arrived to address those openings, while Andrew O’Reilly returns as the long snapper.
There are questions on special teams, but the most important box was checked when Villela stayed. In a season where several position groups are replacing their most productive players, having a proven kicker gives UNLV some continuity that should not be overlooked.
UNLV Was Rebuilt Without Becoming a Complete Rebuild
That is the strange part about the 2026 roster.
UNLV came off a 10-win season and was reshaped at almost every level. The starting quarterback left, the top three receivers are gone, eight offensive linemen departed, the leading tackler left and the defensive front lost two of its most disruptive players. The secondary also lost several major contributors, leaving the Rebels with a level of turnover that would normally suggest a complete reset.
The roster does not look like a complete reset because of what remains.
Thomas and Glover give the offense an established backfield. Irvin and Lyons provide some continuity at receiver. Alualu-Tuiolemotu returns in the middle of the defense, while Pope and Keyes give the secondary experienced pieces. Conti remains along the defensive front, and Villela provides stability in the kicking game.
UNLV also did not respond passively to the losses. The staff attacked the portal, adding Arnold at quarterback, rebuilding the offensive line with nine newcomers and bringing in reinforcements at receiver, linebacker and throughout the secondary.
There is enough talent on the roster to compete, but the success of the rebuild will depend on how quickly the pieces become connected. A roster can look deep in March and still struggle in September if communication, timing and roles are not established.
Quarterback and offensive line will probably provide the first answers. If Arnold or another quarterback takes control of the offense and the rebuilt line becomes a functional unit quickly, Thomas and Glover give UNLV a proven running game while the new receivers develop around them. That would give the Rebels enough offensive structure to keep pressure off a defense replacing several important players of its own.
If the offensive line struggles and the quarterback position remains unsettled, the entire transition becomes more difficult. Timing with the receivers becomes harder to develop, the running backs see less space and the defense is asked to carry more of the season while trying to replace McDuffie, Adeleye, Borders and several members of the secondary.
That is why 2026 cannot simply be viewed as the next chapter of UNLV’s recent run. The program won 10 games last season, but it is not bringing that same team back. It is trying to preserve the standard created over the last three years while replacing many of the players responsible for reaching it.
There is still a foundation, and there is enough talent that UNLV does not have to start over. The offseason was not a teardown in the traditional sense, but it came close enough that almost every important position group will look different when the season begins.
The next step is finding out how quickly all of those new pieces can start looking like one team.