5 things to watch with UNLV football heading into 2026

UNLV’s football season didn’t end as coach Dan Mullen and players intended Tuesday, the result a 17-10 loss to Ohio in the Frisco Bowl.

It comes after UNLV fell short of its main goal of winning a Mountain West championship. That dream ended with a loss to Boise State for a third consecutive season in the title game.

But it’s now about the future, about where UNLV goes from here. The Rebels have won 30 games the last three years and will be among the best programs in the new-look Mountain West come 2026.

“In January, we’re going to get to work,” Mullen said following the Frisco Bowl defeat. “This time last year we had like three coaches and 15 players. When I wake up tomorrow, there will be more than that in the program. But we’re going to continue to grow, continue to improve, continue to raise that standard of being a program that’s going to compete for championships year in and year out.

“Get back to work with the birth of a new team and a new year and we’ll get after it.”

Here are five things to watch with UNLV football as such work begins:

Mullen staying put

He had inquiries for sure. Other programs looking for a head coach dialed his number.

But in the end, Mullen has stuck to his word. He had said all season that Las Vegas is where he wants to be and it appears he will remain as the Rebels coach for the foreseeable future. At least for next season.

Mullen did a terrific job continuing what Barry Odom had built with the Rebels, finishing the season 10-4 and a spot in the bowl. Athletic director Erick Harper indicated at the Frisco Bowl announcement that he will sit down with Mullen following the game against Ohio to discuss the future, which could (should) include a contract extension.

Transfer portal worries?

It didn’t appear so until this week.

It’s that time of year when coaches are concerned about who might jump into the portal and search for greener (NIL) pastures elsewhere.

Two names that came to mind were junior quarterback Anthony Colandrea and junior running back Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas.

Both were first-team all-Mountain West players and Colandrea was the league’s Offensive Player of the Year. Both would likely fetch lucrative offers on the open market, particularly Colandrea for the position he plays and the season he just produced.

On the first day of practice for the Frisco Bowl, each pledged their commitment to return to UNLV for their senior seasons. But then Colandrea shifted gears Friday and will enter the portal.

Thomas has yet to officially announce if he will indeed stay or follow Colandrea out the door.

Should both have returned, the Rebels would again have offered the league’s best offense and be picked to win a championship next year. As it is now, such is up in the air.

Staff changes?

Like with the transfer portal, you never know what assistant coaches might jump to different locations.

It has been reported that offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis interviewed for a similar position at Georgia Tech, where he played collegiately. There is also defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, who has spent most of his career in the NFL and didn’t take over UNLV’s defense until spring practice.

It is expected Guenther will take some time following the bowl game before sitting down with Mullen to discuss the coordinator’s future. There could be other assistants offered jobs across the country given UNLV’s success. Definitely something to keep an eye on.

Spring ball improvements

UNLV’s offense became more and more explosive as the season wore on, and could be even more potent next year depending on who the quarterback is running Mullen’s attack. The Rebels were poor defensively the first part of 2025 but slowly improved. It will be interesting to see who Mullen takes from the transfer portal, especially on defense. If he can shore up that side of the ball, the Rebels might be an extremely talented group overall.

Run distribution

Thomas had one of the nation’s best averages per rush and yet carried the ball fewer than 11 times a game. Will an identical game plan continue next season? If he stays at UNLV, Thomas would return as one of if not the best running backs in the conference. If he remains a Rebel and also healthy, he could emerge as one of the country’s top players at his position without having to carry the load each week.

Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.