Editor’s update, Jan. 6, 2026: Anthony Colandrea announced Dec. 26 that he intended to enter the transfer portal and committed to Nebraska on Jan. 6. He made the comments below on Dec. 15.
LAS VEGAS – Anthony Colandrea said Monday that he plans to return to UNLV, giving coach Dan Mullen a chance to build a second season around the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year.
“I’m not transferring,” Colandrea said Monday. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying here.”
Running back Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas has stated his intention to stay with UNLV next season. Thomas, a first-team All-Mountain West selection, also confirmed that he plans to return for his senior season after leading UNLV with 985 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 137 carries. His 7.2 yards per attempt made him one of the conference’s most productive runners and gave UNLV a dependable rushing threat alongside Colandrea throughout the season.
“Vegas was my first home,” Thomas said. “Money comes, money goes. Just stay true to who you are.”
Colandrea’s planned return offers UNLV something it did not have when Mullen took over the program last offseason: continuity at quarterback. The Rebels entered the 2025 season with only two returning starters and more than 60 transfers, forcing Mullen and his staff to build almost the entire roster at once.
Colandrea threw for 3,275 yards and 23 touchdowns while adding 621 rushing yards and nine scores on the ground. His ability to create as both a passer and runner became central to Mullen’s offense and helped UNLV reach the Mountain West championship game.
Those numbers give Colandrea options entering another transfer cycle. He said he wanted to continue developing under Mullen and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis.
“Money is never going to be part of my decision,” Colandrea said. “I base it on my future, and my future is here with Coach Mullen and Corey Dennis.”
His first-team all-conference selection also ended a long gap at the position. Randall Cunningham had been UNLV’s most recent first-team quarterback, in 1983 and 1984, before Colandrea earned the honor this month. Colandrea led the Mountain West in passing yards, efficiency, touchdown passes and total offense during the regular season.
UNLV’s incoming early class consists entirely of high school players, with 14 on offense and 10 on defense. The school said nearly 20 could graduate early and enroll in January to compete in Mullen’s second spring practice. Returning veterans would be working alongside newcomers still learning college football and its demands.
Thomas’ first-team honor followed a second-team selection in 2024. His 31 career rushing touchdowns rank fifth at UNLV, and he has produced two games with four rushing scores. The most recent came at Reno, where he gained 103 yards on 11 carries as UNLV kept the Fremont Cannon and secured its place in the conference tie.
He had 87 yards on six carries by halftime, helping the Rebels build a 28-3 lead before intermission. That is returning production from a back who has played through the program’s three consecutive championship appearances, rather than another incoming player being asked to establish himself immediately.
Returning Colandrea and Thomas would not mean UNLV suddenly stops relying on the transfer portal. The portal remains a major part of roster construction across college football, and Mullen will still have positions he needs to address after the season.
The all-conference list showed how much work surrounded those two players. Center Reid Williams made the second team after a regular season in which UNLV credited him with committing no penalties and allowing one sack. Receiver Jaden Bradley joined him after leading the team in receptions and receiving yards.
Colandrea and Thomas could supply continuity in the backfield while the staff sorts out the protection and targets around them. Retaining the runners is one part of retaining an effective offense; the players who block and receive still need the same attention.
The announcements describe the players’ intentions at this point in bowl preparation. Neither statement establishes the final 2026 roster. UNLV can plan around their stated choices while continuing to recruit and assess the rest of its available scholarship players.
Colandrea arrived from Virginia during that overhaul. UNLV has signed another quarterback: Derek Garcia of Ventura High School in California joined Mullen’s early recruiting class Dec. 3, giving Dennis a younger passer to develop behind an experienced starter.
Thomas’ announcement comes with a running back in the incoming class. UNLV signed Skylar Lendsey-Vann from Los Angeles on Dec. 3. Keeping Thomas would give that newcomer an established senior teammate rather than require immediate production from a freshman.
The signed class includes six offensive linemen and five receivers. Those additions address work around the backfield, with the program still needing to develop blockers and targets. A returning quarterback and running back would enter a roster that continues adding players.
Colandrea made the announcement during preparation for the Frisco Bowl against Ohio, days after UNLV lost to Boise State in the Mountain West championship game. He also said he wanted to finish the season with the teammates who helped reach that game.
“I just want to play in the bowl game and finish out the year with the guys,” Colandrea said.
Before the program turns toward next season, the Rebels still have the Frisco Bowl against Ohio on Dec. 23. Mullen said Monday he was not aware of any UNLV players planning to opt out of the game, giving the Rebels an opportunity to finish the season with much of the roster that helped them reach the Mountain West title game.
“It’s a bowl game,” Mullen said. “For a lot of guys, this might be their last game.”
UNLV returned to practice carrying the disappointment of its championship-game loss to Boise State, and Colandrea did not try to soften what happened.
“It sucked,” he said. “They played better than us and deserved to win.”
