Anthony Colandrea will stay at UNLV, rebuffs transfer portal

Anthony Colandrea is following his coach’s lead.

Colandrea, the star junior quarterback at UNLV, pledged his commitment Monday to the program for next season.

“I’m not transferring,” Colandrea said. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying here. I just want to play in the (bowl game) and finish out the year with the guys.”

The Rebels (10-3) returned to practice to begin preparation for the Frisco Bowl against Ohio (8-4) on Dec. 23 in Frisco, Texas.

Colandrea was the Mountain West’s Offensive Player of the Year after delivering one of the best seasons for a quarterback in school history.

He has thrown for 3,275 yards with 23 touchdowns while running for 621 yards and nine scores.

Such are numbers that would undoubtedly earn interest in a transfer portal world.

But like coach first-year UNLV coach Dan Mullen — who has received interest from other jobs as they have opened across the nation — Colandrea appears steadfast in his decision to remain with the Rebels. No matter how much NIL cash might be thrown his way.

“Money is never going to be part of my decision,” Colandrea said. “I’m never making a decision based on that. I base it on my future, and my future is here with (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Corey) Dennis and Coach Mullen.”

Leading rusher Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas also said Monday he will return to UNLV for his senior season.

“Yes, of course,” Thomas said. “Vegas was my first home. It would be great finishing out my last year with the Rebels. Money comes, money goes. Just stay to who you are. Stay to your principles.”

Colandrea transferred to UNLV from Virginia — “I don’t want to do that again because it’s not that fun” — and he often speaks about his close relationship with Dennis.

“He has had a big impact on my life,” Colandrea said. “He has taught me so many things about being a quarterback and being a man and just life in general.

“I think we’ve grown as a team and I’ve grown as a player. We as an offense have played really well on the back end of the season. We’re clicking at a high level.”

He admits there is a chip on the collective shoulders of all Rebels following a loss to Boise State in the conference championship game.

One they hope to remove with a win against Ohio in the bowl game.

“It sucked (to lose to Boise State),” Colandrea said. “They have a good team, and they played better than us and deserved to win.”

Ready to bowl

Mullen said he wasn’t aware of any UNLV player opting out of the Frisco Bowl and didn’t understand why teams across the country turned down invitations.

“I ask our guys, and they say, ‘We’ll play their bowl game — we’ll play two,’” Mullen said. “We’ll play this one, and if you need us January 2, we’ll show up and play that one. Our guys love to play ball. If anyone else needs to opt out, give us a call. We’ll go play two.

“It’s a bowl game. For a lot of guys, this might be their last game, so they want to go out of their careers with a win. We don’t get to play again until September, so you want to finish on a win. I want us to go out and write the final chapter of this team to finish on an extremely high note. I’m really proud of these guys and what they’ve done.”

A win would move Mullen into sixth in history of bowl game winning percentage.

“That’s pretty cool,” he said. “One is getting players who love to play. I’ve had a lot of experience setting the schedule throughout the years.

“The bowl game is a reward for the season. So we want to make sure it’s a great experience for everyone involved but also want to make sure we’re winning the game. There’s a fine balance with that.”

’Tis the season

Something was different at UNLV practice Monday when the time came for stretching.

Christmas music. It wasn’t the usual tunes played to get players fired up.

But, by the looks of several of them dancing, it fit well.

“It’s bowl season, so you have to get into the holiday season,” Mullen said. “I know the words to those songs better than I do the ones we usually play for the stretch and kickoff practice. More familiar with the Christmas music. It’s something we’ve always done for the holidays.”

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