UNLV’s 2027 recruiting class added another wave of commitments this week, and this one was less about one splash name and more about filling out the shape of the class.
Dan Mullen’s staff added running back Delijah Matthews, safety Emmanuel Moses, edge Dylan Modena, safety Brett Smith, offensive tackle Braydenn Mercer and cornerback Azavier McDaniel between June 16 and June 19. The additions pushed UNLV’s 2027 class to 24 hard commitments and kept the Rebels sitting at No. 59 nationally on 247Sports.
This was not the Donovan McNabb Jr. headline. It was not the same kind of update as Hudson Ploog, David Lee and Gray Longoria. Those pieces already gave the class attention, size and early structure. This latest group is more of a roster-building update. UNLV added another high-production running back, more defensive backs, another edge player, another offensive tackle and another local defensive back from Bishop Gorman.
The biggest name in this latest group might be Matthews, and that is not just because of the rating. Matthews, a running back from Carl Albert High School in Oklahoma City, committed to UNLV on June 16. He is listed at 6-foot, 200 pounds with an 87 rating. He is ranked as the No. 56 running back in the country and the No. 15 player in Oklahoma.
The production is what makes the commitment stand out. As a junior in 2025, Matthews ran for 2,033 yards and 44 touchdowns on 254 carries. He averaged 8.0 yards per carry, caught 15 passes for 119 yards, threw for 112 yards and three touchdowns on 6-for-6 passing, and added a punt return touchdown. He was also named the Gatorade Oklahoma Football Player of the Year and MaxPreps Oklahoma Player of the Year.
That is not just a running back with size. That is a player who carried an offense, produced at a high level and showed enough athletic versatility to affect the game in different ways. Matthews also plays basketball and runs track, posting an 11.59 in the 100 meters and a 23.78 in the 200 meters as a sophomore. That matters because it gives UNLV a 200-pound back with verified athletic ability, not just a bigger body who wins only with size.
For Mullen’s staff, Matthews gives the class a different kind of running back piece. UNLV already had Adonyae Brown and Kash Schwab committed, but Matthews brings a rated profile, a physical frame and major junior-year production. Running back rooms need different answers. They need speed. They need pass-game value. They need players who can handle contact. Matthews gives the Rebels another option with a clear path to becoming a physical part of the offense.
Emmanuel Moses gives UNLV another rated defensive back from outside the West. Moses, a safety from University Lab in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, also committed on June 16. He is listed at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds with an 86 rating. He is ranked as the No. 127 safety in the country and the No. 43 player in Louisiana.
That is a notable pull for UNLV because Louisiana is not part of the Rebels’ normal recruiting base. California has been the foundation of this class. Nevada has become more involved. Arizona has given UNLV quarterback Luke Farrell and wide receiver Donovan McNabb Jr. But getting a rated safety from Baton Rouge shows Mullen’s staff is also willing to reach beyond the usual map when it finds a fit.
Moses also had offers from Baylor, Florida State, Ohio State and Texas A&M. That does not mean every offer was being pushed the same way at the time of his commitment, but it does show he had a real recruiting profile beyond the Mountain West. The athletic background helps, too. Moses runs track and posted an 11.64 in the 100 meters and a 24.52 in the 200 meters as a freshman. For a safety, that speed matters. Defensive backs in modern college football have to cover space, tackle in the open field and handle different assignments depending on personnel. Moses gives UNLV another safety with athletic traits and time to develop.
His commitment also adds to a secondary group that is becoming one of the bigger parts of the class. UNLV already had Delorean Airall Jr., Prince Staten and Jaden Mason committed. The latest wave added Moses, Brett Smith and Azavier McDaniel. That gives the Rebels six defensive backs in the class, and that is not a bad thing.
Defensive back is one of the hardest positions to have enough of. Corners move to safety. Safeties move into nickel roles. Young players often have to contribute on special teams before they earn defensive snaps. Some need time to add strength. Others need time to adjust to college spacing. The more options a staff has in the secondary, the better chance it has to build real depth instead of chasing fixes later.
Smith adds another piece to that group. The Corona Centennial defensive back committed June 16 and is listed as a 6-foot-1, 170-pound safety with an 84 rating. He is ranked as the No. 161 safety in the country and the No. 155 player in California.
Smith gives UNLV another long defensive back from California, which has become the clear base of this 2027 class. The Rebels have 13 California commits, and that is not accidental. If UNLV is going to build a sustainable high school recruiting pipeline, California has to be a major part of it. Smith fits that plan. He is not the highest-rated player in the class, but he gives the Rebels another defensive back with length, another California commitment and another player who can develop inside a secondary room that now has several different body types.
Modena gives the Rebels another edge piece from California, and that matters because UNLV has continued to invest early in the defensive front. The Junipero Serra prospect from San Mateo committed June 17. He is listed as a 6-foot-3, 220-pound edge with an 85 rating. He is ranked as the No. 114 edge in the country and the No. 131 player in California.
That is the important part of his projection. Modena is not just another linebacker-type body. He is listed as an edge, which puts him directly into the defensive front build that has been one of the clearest parts of this class. UNLV already had Kingston Williams, Miko Greer, Cooper Cook, David Lee and Gray Longoria committed along the defensive line and edge group. Modena gives the Rebels another 6-foot-3 body with room to add weight and grow into a more defined role.
At 220 pounds, Modena does not have to be finished physically. He has time to develop. That is usually how edge recruiting works in the high school ranks. Programs are not always signing complete pass rushers. They are signing frames, movement traits and projection. Modena gives UNLV another player who can be built into the defensive structure over time.
His offer list also gives the commitment some weight. Modena had 11 offers, including Boston College, California, Minnesota and Oregon State. For UNLV to land a Bay Area edge prospect with that kind of profile is a solid recruiting win. It also continues the California theme. Modena is another California defender in a class loaded with California players. That is the right map for UNLV. The Rebels need to recruit California consistently, especially for linemen, defensive backs and edge players. Modena fits that plan.
Braydenn Mercer gives the class another offensive line body. The Sierra Canyon offensive tackle committed June 16 and is listed at 6-foot-5, 285 pounds. He is currently unrated, but the frame is the key part of the evaluation right now. Offensive line recruiting is usually about projection, especially in the 2027 cycle.
Mercer joins Phoenix Pollard and A.J. Talaoloa as offensive line commits in the class. Pollard gives UNLV a massive local interior lineman from Coronado. Talaoloa gives the Rebels an interior piece from De La Salle. Mercer gives the class a tackle body from California. That is a useful mix.
Offensive line is not always the part of recruiting that gets attention, but it is one of the areas that determines whether a class can actually help a program later. UNLV has used the transfer portal well, but building offensive line depth through high school recruiting is how a program avoids having to fix the same problem every offseason. Mercer gives the Rebels another long-term body to develop instead of another short-term patch.
Azavier McDaniel closed out the latest wave with a local commitment, and that gives this update a different kind of ending. McDaniel, a Bishop Gorman cornerback, committed June 19. He is listed at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds with an 84 rating. He is ranked as the No. 143 cornerback in the country and the No. 17 player in Nevada.
That makes the commitment important beyond the rating. UNLV is not going to keep every Bishop Gorman player home. Gorman is a national program, and its top players are always going to draw attention from major schools. But the Rebels need to win enough local recruitments for staying home to feel like a real option. McDaniel helps with that.
McDaniel gives UNLV another local defensive back and another in-state commitment. He joins Pollard and Mason as Nevada commits in the 2027 class. That matters for a class that is still heavily built around California. The Rebels should recruit California hard, but Las Vegas still has to be part of the foundation.
He also gives UNLV another defensive back with a real offer list. McDaniel had seven offers, including North Dakota State, Hawaii, Oregon State and New Mexico. That is not the same as landing a national blue-chip recruit, but it is still a local win over programs that would have made sense for his profile.
McDaniel’s junior production gives the commitment more context. He finished the 2025 season with 18 tackles, two quarterback hurries and one pass breakup. Those are not massive stats, but cornerback production can be tricky to judge from a box score, especially on a roster like Bishop Gorman’s. The more important piece is that UNLV got a local corner with size, a rating and room to grow.
For Mullen, that is the kind of in-state addition that helps the class feel more connected to Las Vegas. It is not about pretending UNLV is suddenly going to keep every top local prospect home. It is about stacking enough local wins that the Rebels become a real option for more of them.
This latest group does not need to be oversold. It is a depth-building update.
Matthews gives UNLV a rated running back with elite junior production. Moses gives the Rebels a rated safety from Louisiana. Smith gives them another long defensive back from California. Modena gives them another edge player with frame. Mercer gives them another tackle body. McDaniel gives them another local corner from Bishop Gorman.
That is a strong week for a class that is still early.
There is still a long way to go. These are 2027 commitments. Players will take visits. Ratings will move. Other schools will keep evaluating. UNLV still has to hold the class together.
But the shape is becoming clear.
Mullen’s staff is not just adding names. It is adding player types. The Rebels are building through California, keeping Nevada involved, adding selective out-of-region pieces and stacking positions that matter.
UNLV’s 2027 class already had momentum.
This week gave it more depth.