LAS VEGAS — UNLV will enter the 2026 season with two players on the Maxwell Award watch list for the first time in program history.
Running back Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas earned a place on the preseason list for the second consecutive year, while quarterback Jackson Arnold joined him Monday among 81 players being considered for the award presented annually to college football’s top overall player.
Thomas is the first UNLV player to become a repeat Maxwell watch-list selection. Arnold is the first Rebels quarterback included since Armani Rogers in 2018.
UNLV is also one of 14 programs nationally with multiple players on this year’s list, adding another piece of preseason recognition for an offense carrying higher expectations into Dan Mullen’s second season.
Thomas’ inclusion follows three years of production that have already placed him among the most accomplished running backs in school history. He enters his senior season ranked eighth at UNLV with 2,457 career rushing yards and fifth with 31 rushing touchdowns.
He was also named first-team Preseason All-Mountain West after choosing to return for another season with a program that has reached three consecutive conference championship games.
The Maxwell recognition fits the role Thomas is expected to hold as Mullen continues shaping the offense during fall camp. UNLV has changed quarterbacks, coaches and systems during his career, but Thomas has remained one of the program’s most dependable players through each transition.
His return gives the Rebels an established runner while the quarterback competition and receiving rotation continue taking shape. Thomas has shown that he can serve as the foundation of the offense, finish drives near the goal line and remain productive as the system changes around him.
Monday’s announcement was familiar territory for Thomas after he appeared on the Maxwell watch list last summer. No previous UNLV player had earned a place in consecutive years.
Arnold reached the list before playing his first game for the Rebels.
The former Oklahoma and Auburn quarterback transferred to UNLV after starting games at both programs. His inclusion reflects the talent and national profile he brought to Las Vegas, although Mullen has continued to describe the quarterback position as an open competition during camp.
Mullen said Sunday that the quarterbacks are still battling and that he may not settle on a starter until close to UNLV’s Aug. 29 opener against Memphis.
Arnold is the most experienced option after playing in the Big 12 and SEC, but the Rebels have not publicly awarded him the job. His place on the Maxwell list is tied to what he could become in Mullen’s offense rather than anything he has already produced at UNLV.
Arnold was a five-star prospect and one of the highest-rated quarterbacks in the 2023 recruiting class before beginning his career at Oklahoma. He later transferred to Auburn and entered the portal again after one season.
UNLV gives him another opportunity to establish himself as a full-time starter under a coach whose offensive background has included extensive work developing quarterbacks. Mullen has not treated Arnold’s previous experience or recruiting profile as enough to end the competition, but both have contributed to the expectations surrounding his arrival.
Thomas gives whichever quarterback wins the job an established player to build around. UNLV will not need its starter to create the entire offense while the passing game develops. The Rebels can lean on one of the most productive running backs in program history as the quarterback and receiving rotations settle into place.
The Maxwell Award has been presented since 1937 and is named after former Swarthmore College player, sportswriter and football official Robert “Tiny” Maxwell. Semifinalists will be announced Nov. 10, followed by three finalists on Nov. 24. The winner will be revealed during the College Football Awards Show on Dec. 10.
UNLV has had players receive Maxwell Award recognition before, but never two in the same preseason. The selections add to the expectations surrounding Mullen’s offense while fall camp continues, with Thomas returning as its proven producer and the quarterback competition still unresolved.