'Our goal is a championship': Expectations soar on first day of UNLV football training camp

Just moments into Friday’s practice at the Fertitta Football Complex, it was apparent how much has changed since Barry Odom took over the UNLV program last year.

Players flew around the field, making highlight-reel plays look routine. There was depth at key positions. There were obvious upgrades at offseason areas of need. There was continuity where it really matters. All things that had been foreign to UNLV football for decades.

The biggest difference, however, was the team’s belief in itself. The 2024 Scarlet and Gray have no interest in eking out six wins and playing in a low-level bowl game — the stated goal for most of the program’s existence.

Expectations are high: Surpass last year’s total of nine victories, win the Mountain West championship, make the college football playoffs.

One player even said the words “national championship.”

Yes, it was a new day as UNLV football kicked off training camp, and Odom couldn’t have been happier to see the progress in action. From his position in the middle of the practice field, overseeing multiple groupings as they went through a variety of drills, the upgrades were apparent.

Odom’s task now is to mold all that talent into a cohesive unit capable of meeting those lofty internal expectations.

“If you look at the measurables of speed, strength, quickness, change of direction, explosiveness, we’re substantially better than we were last year at this time,” Odom said. “We’re a fast football team. I think we’ve got great explosive numbers. In the measurables we do, from vertical jump to power clean to the 10-yard dash, 20-yard dash, change of direction, [I’m] excited about now being able to take those measurables and put into the opportunity to field a team.”

On Day 1, all eyes were on the trio of quarterbacks competing for the starting job. Nothing can sink a potentially historic season faster than poor play at the game’s most important position, so there is pressure on the coaches to get it right.

While contenders Hajj-Malik Williams and Cameron Friel participated in spring practice, Holy Cross transfer Matt Sluka made his debut on Friday, finally getting a chance to work with his new teammates at full speed in Brennan Marion’s go-go offense.

Sluka was a dual-threat monster at the FCS level, passing for 1,728 yards and 20 touchdowns last year while rushing for 1,247 yards and nine scores. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder completed several downfield passes and also showed his ability in the open field, snapping off a couple long scrambles.

After his first practice in a UNLV uniform, Sluka noted the increased talent level throughout the roster.

“It’s definitely a step up,” Sluka said. “The speed of the game is a little faster. You can trust guys to make their plays a little more.

“There’s guys all over,” he continued. “There’s so many guys out there making plays. It makes my job really easy. I just kind of deliver the ball, which is nice.”

Sluka said he has been putting in extra time studying as he tries to absorb the playbook. In the meantime, he can always rely on his legs to make something out of nothing, as he did several times on Friday.

Odom commended Sluka’s ability to get out of the pocket and pick up yards on broken plays.

“He’s got natural ability,” Odom said. “He’s got a feel for the position because he’s got a lot of experience playing quarterback. I think he understands, if it’s not there, he’s talented enough with the run game and with his ability to escape, that he’s going to go get positive yards that way.”

Williams and Friel had their moments as well, as the trio received equal reps on Day 1. Odom said there is no timetable to choose a starter, leaving open the possibility that the auditions could run all the way up to Week 1.

Odom did lay out some of the qualities he wants to see in his eventual No. 1 quarterback.

“I would want the starting quarterback to protect the football, to command leadership of the team, to effectively make plays, and to find a way to execute the offense at the highest level you can,” Odom said.

If UNLV can solve the quarterback situation, there is enough talent on the roster to make serious noise — the kind of noise the Scarlet and Gray could have only dreamed about before Odom’s arrival.

Senior linebacker Jackson Woodard — an Odom recruit and the Mountain West co-Defensive Player of the Year — laid it all on the table 29 days before the first game at Houston (Aug. 31).

“I love it,” Woodard said of the heightened expectations surrounding UNLV. “Our goal is a championship, and that’s a Mountain West championship. That’s our goal. We’re going to get that. And with that comes the playoffs. We can’t really decide what happens with the playoffs, but our goal is to get the championship. We know how hard it’s going to be.

“Whoever wins this conference — and that’s our goal — will get a shot at the playoffs. So that’s really exciting. A national championship is definitely on our mind.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.