New coach’s arrival convinced 2 of UNLV’s best players to stay
Doug Brumfield had a difficult decision to make.
He could leave. The junior quarterback established himself as UNLV’s No. 1 signal-caller in 2022. But the Rebels’ hot start fell apart after injuries kept him out of the lineup, and he had the chance to parlay that early success into a move somewhere else.
Instead, he chose to stay.
“I had to sit back and think, what’s the ultimate goal here?” Brumfield said. “What am I doing this for? And ultimately, I realized I wanted to win at UNLV. I spent a lot of time here, and I didn’t want all this time to be for nothing.”
The Rebels’ upcoming season is approaching quickly, as Brumfield and fifth-year defensive lineman Naki Fahina represented UNLV at Mountain West media days Wednesday at Circa. They said UNLV, which was picked to finish ninth in the conference’s preseason poll, has the tools to help the Rebels build football success under first-year coach Barry Odom.
“I want to be a guy here,” Brumfield said, “the guy that changed the culture back to where it needs to be.”
It’s been a difficult offseason for the Rebels. Marcus Arroyo was fired after his third season in charge, finishing his tenure with a 7-23 record. His exit led to the departure of several key players via the transfer portal, including cornerback Nohl Williams, wide receiver Kyle Williams, leading rusher Aidan Robbins and center Leif Fautanu.
Then, in late February, defensive lineman Ryan Keeler died unexpectedly because of a cardiac event, according to the Clark County coroner’s office. Fahina wore a pin featuring Keeler’s image just below the UNLV logo on his black polo shirt throughout media day.
While Brumfield remained in Las Vegas to help Odom rebuild, Fahina didn’t have many other options.
He suffered a Lisfranc (midfoot) injury in the first game of the season and missed the rest of the year. The injury prevented him from considering the transfer portal because he didn’t know what kind of opportunities he’d have from other schools after missing so much time.
However, his decision to stay at UNLV was quickly reinforced after his first meetings with Odom.
“He really made me want to stay,” Fahina said. “Just meeting him that first time off the bat, I knew he was going to be a great coach coming from the (Southeastern Conference) and everything.
“The plan that he had for us with the season coming up, I already knew this is where I wanted to be.”
Odom’s first impression managed to keep Brumfield and Fahina aboard, and both players said they’ve enjoyed getting to know the Rebels’ new coaching staff. Fahina called Odom a “player’s coach,” who makes genuine connections and is visible around the practice facility.
Brumfield and Fahina also said Odom has created a family atmosphere around the team. The UNLV quarterback said the new coach always asks him how he’s doing off the field before discussing anything related to football tactics.
“He’s so inspirational when he’s speaking in front of the team,” Brumfield said. “After our team meetings before our runs, I want to run through a brick wall listening to Coach Odom. It’s crazy.”
Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.
