LAS VEGAS — Lucas Conti spent his first three seasons at UNLV earning a larger role. He appeared in two games as a freshman, moved into the rotation the following year and became a regular starter in 2025. Now he believes the next jump will be his biggest.
“For this season, I would expect more of a breakout season,” Conti said at Mountain West Media Days. “I think last year I was hindered by a lot of body pains and injuries that I honestly neglected for part of my life, probably going back to high school. Now that I’ve grown up and have more of a pro mindset, I feel like I’m starting to see the potential I could really get to.”
Conti played in 12 games and started 10 last season, finishing with 22 tackles, four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He had recorded nine tackles during his first two seasons combined before taking on a full-time role in Paul Guenther’s defense. Phil Steele named him to the 2026 preseason All-Mountain West second team, and UNLV now lists him at 6-foot-5 and 295 pounds.
He is the only returning UNLV defensive lineman who started at least 10 games last season, placing him in a different position than he occupied a year ago. Conti entered 2025 trying to prove he could remain in the lineup. He enters this season responsible for helping the players around him get ready to join it.
Before he could take on that responsibility, Conti had to change the way he handled his own preparation. He said recurring soreness and smaller injuries prevented him from producing consistently during his first year as a regular starter. He did not need surgery, but he acknowledged that he had spent years trying to work through physical problems without giving enough attention to why they continued happening.
“I definitely did have some injury mishaps last year and just occasional little body pains,” Conti said. “But I think this year I’ve taken more accountability and had more of a pro mindset. I’m really excited to see where that can take me and what difference it makes in my game.”
Conti’s offseason became less about reacting whenever something hurt and more about preparing his body to handle a full season. He believes the change has helped him reach a physical level he did not consistently have last year.
“Based off just how I’m feeling and how my body’s feeling, I’ll be able to produce a lot more consistently,” Conti said.
UNLV needs that version of Conti because the defensive line around him has changed. Several experienced contributors are gone, leaving snaps and production that will have to come from players who have not handled the same workload. Cohen Fuller could provide another experienced option if he is available in 2026, but Conti said at Mountain West Media Days that he was unsure about Fuller’s situation.
“Obviously, we still have Cohen Fuller in the room,” Conti said. “I’m not exactly sure about the situation going on there, but it would be really beneficial to have him back because he’s helping me a lot getting these guys together.”
Conti has also worked with Eliah Logo, Mo Abbasher and several younger defensive linemen who could move into larger roles. He has been encouraged by how quickly they have adjusted physically, but their understanding of Guenther’s defense will determine how much the Rebels can trust them once the season begins.
“We definitely have a lot of young guys that are playing like they’re seniors,” Conti said. “It’s honestly great to see. I’m really not worried about where we’re going to be on the defensive line as long as we get everybody in line and make sure everything is good on the intellectual part. I think we’re going to be just fine.”
Getting the group caught up mentally has become the largest part of Conti’s leadership role. Game plans can change throughout the week as coaches study formations, blocking schemes and personnel tendencies. A lineman may begin the week with one assignment against a certain look and receive a different responsibility after the staff identifies how the opponent uses motion or creates numbers in the running game.
“I’d say it’s just getting everybody intellectually up to speed,” Conti said. “In college football, there are so many changes. The plays change almost day to day. It honestly hasn’t been much of an effort because we have some really talented young guys.”
Conti understands that process because he went through it himself. He redshirted after appearing in two games in 2023, started three times in 2024 and worked his way into the lineup last season. His development came from learning enough of the defense to earn rotational snaps and then proving he could handle more without becoming an assignment problem.
The younger linemen around him now face the same challenge. Their size and athleticism may put them in the rotation, but knowing the call, recognizing the blocking scheme and remaining responsible for the correct gap will determine whether they stay there.
Conti has also tried to make sure the newer players understand when UNLV’s championship expectations begin. The Rebels have reached the Mountain West title game in three consecutive seasons, but Conti does not believe finishing should become a talking point once December arrives. He wants the habits that decide those games built long before the season begins.
“Finishing starts in the workouts, and upholding our standards starts in December,” Conti said. “All that stuff starts immediately. Making them realize how important it is early on has definitely been part of it.”
His individual goals follow the same approach. Conti wants to become more dependable against the run before focusing on how many tackles or sacks he can collect.
“I want to have no mistakes in the run game, just cover my gap and do my job,” Conti said. “I want to stack numbers this year. Considering last year I had some injuries, I think it can be a lot better.”
UNLV’s 2025 numbers show why Conti started with the running game. The Rebels allowed 177.4 rushing yards per game, 5.2 yards per carry and 24 rushing touchdowns. They produced negative plays and finished with 30 sacks, but physical opponents were still able to control the line of scrimmage for long stretches.
UNLV could force a loss on one snap and allow a run into the second level on the next. The defense was disruptive without always being dependable, especially against teams willing to continue running directly at the front.
At 6-foot-5 and 295 pounds, Conti has the size to help change that. Guenther can line him up inside against guards and centers, move him over a tackle or shift him closer to the edge depending on the front and situation. His length gives him a chance to keep offensive linemen away from his body, while his weight allows him to absorb contact without immediately being moved out of the play.
A breakout season would not require Conti to lead the Mountain West in sacks. UNLV needs him to play with reliable leverage, stay in his gap and prevent offensive linemen from reaching the linebackers untouched.
Some of Conti’s best snaps may end with another player making the tackle. By occupying blockers, controlling his gap and communicating adjustments, he can keep offensive linemen away from the linebackers and allow the rest of the defense to attack the ball without compensating for breakdowns up front.
The same physical tools can help him become a more productive pass rusher. Conti does not have to win every matchup with speed if he can push the pocket from the inside and prevent the quarterback from stepping forward. A pressure that sends the quarterback toward an edge rusher will not appear in Conti’s sack total, but it can still end a possession.
Conti recorded sacks against UCLA and New Mexico in 2025, showing he could reach the backfield. The breakout he expects will depend on making that disruption a regular part of his game instead of something that appears only a few times during the season.
He believes the defense’s second year under Guenther will help. Conti described the scheme as an NFL-style system that required players to process more information than they were accustomed to during its first season. The returning defenders now enter 2026 with a better understanding of the terminology, fronts and adjustments.
“This is our second year,” Conti said. “Last year was our first year seeing it. It’s like seeing a real NFL defense. I think we’re going to be a lot more capable of running it to its expectation.”
Communication has been the biggest change. Conti said missed gaps and broken coverages often started because the defense did not relay an adjustment quickly enough before the snap. One player could recognize what the offense was showing, but the information did not always reach the rest of the group.
“I’d say we will be able to use our talent to its fullest potential because the communication aspect has grown and gotten stronger,” Conti said. “I think that was our weaker point, and I feel like it’s starting to become our stronger point. I’m really excited to see what we can do together.”
Mike Scherer’s return gives the defense another coach who already knows Conti and several of the returning players. Scherer rejoined UNLV to coach the linebackers after previously serving as the Rebels’ defensive coordinator.
“I’ve been with Coach Scherer as a defensive coordinator, so it’s not a new relationship,” Conti said. “I think he can help all of us enhance aspects of the defense. Him and everybody being aligned is great.”
Conti’s ability to adjust was tested during UNLV’s trip to Wyoming last season, when ice and slush covered the field and forced the Rebels to alter their pregame routine. Players waited inside the locker room while workers tried to clear enough of the surface for the game to begin. Conti embraced conditions most players would have preferred to avoid.
“As a kid, I’d always play Madden and set it to heavy snow,” Conti said. “I was so excited to play that game. I look at all that stuff like it’s an advantage. They didn’t even want to scrape the field off for us, so we took it like it was a challenge.”
The experience also showed how much he values the opportunity to remain on the field. Conti spent much of his first two college seasons waiting for a larger role. Now that he has one, he does not treat those snaps as something guaranteed to remain available.
“Growing up playing youth football, I was always on the field,” Conti said. “Playing high school football, I was always on the field. Any opportunity to stay on that field and enjoy what I love doing is a blessing because one day I might not be able to play this game.”
His opportunity in 2026 extends beyond keeping his starting job. Conti is now the experienced player the defensive line will look toward when an assignment changes, a younger player makes a mistake or an opponent begins finding success on the ground. He must produce while also helping the rest of the room become ready to play beside him.
Conti has been inside the program as UNLV changed what it expects from a football season. He was a young reserve when the Rebels first reached the Mountain West championship game. He became a starter as the goal shifted from proving UNLV could contend to finding a way to finish with the trophy.
Three championship appearances have established the program’s progress. Three losses have left the same result unfinished. Conti believes changing that begins with the work no one sees in December and continues through the assignments that decide whether a defense remains sound once the season begins.
UNLV cannot expect a young defensive front to develop quickly without an experienced player helping set that standard. Conti enters 2026 healthier, more comfortable in Guenther’s defense and responsible for more than his own position. His first three seasons were spent earning enough trust to stay on the field. His fourth gives him a chance to become the player who keeps UNLV’s defensive front together.
The Rebels do not need Conti to become a completely different player. They need him to stay healthier, eliminate the inconsistencies that kept his best football from appearing every week and help the younger linemen make the same progression he did.
Conti believes that can produce the breakout season he has been building toward since arriving at UNLV. If it does, the defensive line may no longer be the part of the roster trying to replace what it lost. It could become one of the reasons the Rebels finally finish with a championship.