Hill: Don’t be mad, UNLV fans. Anthony Colandrea made the right decision
Anthony Colandrea is probably making the right decision by entering the transfer portal and exploring his options outside UNLV.
Sorry if it’s difficult to hear that or if you don’t think it should be printed in the local paper, especially by someone who once walked the halls of that esteemed university, albeit with quite a bit less swag than No. 10.
It sucks, honestly.
But don’t hate the player. Hate the system.
Colandrea became a fan favorite on his way to winning Mountain West offensive player of the year in his debut season with the Rebels, for his style as much as his success.
No play was ever dead with the way he could keep it alive and still be just as much of a threat to find a receiver on a scramble drill as he was to tuck it and pick up big chunks of yardage with his legs.
He was fun to watch. Heck, he was fun to write about.
Could have been a star
Colandrea likely would have been a star in this town next year as the team could actually be in the hunt for a playoff berth.
But he and his representation clearly believe he’s worth far more on the open market than he could have received from UNLV, and they’re right.
Colandrea will visit Florida State on Sunday. He’s expected to meet with Tennessee, as well as several other Power Four schools. He’s almost certain to be the starting quarterback for a major program next season, which means big bucks. The kind of dollars he can’t get at UNLV.
He’s also the kind of great college player who won’t be moving on to the NFL. For many years, those types of players never had a way to cash in on that despite being the lifeblood of a billion-dollar industry.
That is changing. And, with apologies to my father and uncles and others of their generation who will never understand why things aren’t like they were in the past, the empowerment of college athletes is a good thing.
Colandrea, and others like him who won’t be NFL stars, have a limited window to take advantage of all the work they have put into getting to this point.
They should absolutely maximize that window.
Portal goes both ways
Conversely, it’s understandable for fans to be hurt. Fans who invested emotions falling in love with the way Colandrea played the game and believing they would have two years to watch him create magic on the field only to have the rug pulled out from under them.
But the modern-day portal, which is open right now, goes both ways. UNLV under Barry Odom and now Dan Mullen has become a regional power through its willingness to try to overhaul the roster each year by taking on transfers at a historic rate.
That’s how Colandrea landed at the school. And that’s one of the ways they will replace him.
Reports indicate that process is already in motion with former five-star recruit and former Oklahoma and Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold now considering UNLV.
UNLV has absolutely become a destination for players looking for a second chance and it has worked out very well for the program.
It’s a risky game to completely turn over the roster every year, but it has worked out thus far.
And with that success will come even more resources so players like Colandrea can be kept around. The department and affiliated fundraising arms have already made a tremendous amount of progress in that area and it will likely continue as long as the wins keep coming.
It’s fine to be sad about Colandrea leaving. It’s probably misguided to be angry, especially at him. Even getting upset about his original (unprompted) announcement that he would return is a bit of a stretch. He still had a bowl game to play and wasn’t going to be a distraction. He also mentioned coming back to play for offensive coordinator Corey Dennis, who then became a candidate at Georgia Tech.
Colandrea is just taking advantage of the system in the way that he absolutely should. Just like UNLV will do to find a potential replacement.
It’s a system that absolutely needs some guardrails and some oversight, but one that both sides need to embrace in order to make the best of the current situation.
UNLV certainly has done that.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
