Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

New UNLV coach fills all boxes on checklist for success

Marcus Arroyo

Chris Pietsch / AP

Oregon offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo watches his team during warmups before their NCAA college football game against Washington State Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, in Eugene, Ore.

The UNLV football program has never been a consistent winner, reaching four bowl games all-time and none since 2013. The roster usually has a few solid pieces, just not enough to prevent six consecutive losing seasons. The fan base, in a town that usually only supports winning teams, loses interest midway through most seasons.

What kind of coach could overcome those challenges and produce a consistent winner?

The answer to that question, according to athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois, is Marcus Arroyo. The former Oregon offensive coordinator was hired as UNLV’s head coach on Wednesday, and now Arroyo will begin the most arduous task of his professional life.

Is Arroyo capable of leading the Rebels to bowl games? A look at the new man in charge of UNLV football:

Quality resume

Regardless of how his tenure plays out at UNLV, Arroyo is qualified at this time to be a Division I head coach. He has enjoyed success at multiple stops, under multiple head coaches, running multiple systems. He has been the position coach for quarterbacks, receivers, running backs and tight ends, he has been a coordinator and he has coached in the NFL. He has a reputation as an elite recruiter at the power-conference level. Simply put, Arroyo checks every box for a coordinator making his first jump to the head coaching ranks.

His offenses have produced at every stop. In his first year as offensive coordinator at San Jose State, the Spartans jumped to No. 34 in passing (258.4 yards per game), up from No. 81 the year prior (184.1). In his first year as Oregon’s offensive coordinator in 2018, the Ducks were No. 47 in passing yards and (246.3 per game); this year they’re up to No. 34 (263.7) while also ranking No. 40 in rushing (180.8 yards per game). That makes Oregon one of just nine teams to rank in the top 40 in rushing and passing.

That’s what Reed-Francois said she was looking for all along — someone who checks all the boxes. At 39 years old Arroyo, is ready to lead a team.

Double-barreled attack

Most offensive-minded coaches tend to lean toward the run game or the pass game, but Arroyo has proved himself capable of directing both. He has been a quarterbacks coach and a passing game coordinator, and he has also been a successful running backs coach. In his first year as running backs coach at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys averaged 3.6 yards per carry; the following season they jumped to 4.5 yards per carry and 170.9 yards per game.

UNLV could never quite master both under Tony Sanchez. The Rebels generally had a productive running game but failed to develop the quarterbacks or receivers necessary for a threatening passing game. Arroyo can help bring an effective aerial attack.

Offensive concepts

So what is this presumably balanced offense going to look like? If his time at Oregon is any indication, it will be built off the running game. The Ducks used a zone-blocking scheme designed to open running lanes on the edges, and their quick, shifty running backs were trained to look for outside alleys before cutting back inside. It worked, as Oregon averaged 5.0 yards per carry this season (No. 28 nationally).

Arroyo’s passing playbook at Oregon mostly focused on short, horizontal throws. But because defenses were so focused on moving side-to-side to contain the running game, the Ducks were able to utilize play-action and bootleg passes when Arroyo wanted to take deep shots. It’s an efficient, mistake-free approach that helped Oregon quarterbacks compile a rating of 159.5 this season (No. 13 nationally).

UNLV has two quarterbacks on the roster who could vie for the starting job under Arroyo: Armani Rogers, who will be a fifth-year senior, and Kenyon Oblad, who will be a redshirt sophomore. It’s hard to envision Rogers throwing accurately enough to hit on all the short passes that rely on yards-after-catch. Oblad can make those throws, and he’s probably just athletic enough to work the bootleg game. Still, Arroyo may want to bring in his own quarterback who is better suited to his offensive system.

Defense first?

Offense hasn’t been the big issue at UNLV. The Rebels finished in the top 70 in points per game in four of five years under Sanchez, and the running game in particular was generally productive, with Lexington Thomas and now Charles Williams putting up 1,000-yard seasons with regularity.

The defense, however, has been downright atrocious. In four of the last five years the Rebels finished outside the top 100 in points per game, and their best performance under Sanchez was 2017, when they allowed 31.8 points — good for No. 93 nationally.

It’s impossible to win consistently with defenses that bad, so while Arroyo’s background is on the offensive side, his top task will be fixing the defense. His assistant coaching hires on that side of the ball will be pivotal.

Recruiting

The most important factor in building a competitive defense will be recruiting. Under Sanchez, UNLV never had good enough athletes on that side of the ball — slow and undersized could be applied to just about every Rebels defender over the last five years — because Sanchez and his staff were unable to make a significant dent on the recruiting trail.

Arroyo comes with a top-notch recruiting reputation, however, so there is hope that he could bring in some difference-makers. During his two years at Oklahoma State he was regarded as the Cowboys’ best recruiter, and he took on a similar role during his three years at Oregon. Arroyo has proved he can bring in talent at the power-conference level.

Recruiting to UNLV will be a much bigger challenge. The good news is that Arroyo has the brand new Fertitta Football Complex and Allegiant Stadium to help sway recruits. The class of 2020 is probably going to be lackluster simply due to the coaching change, but given time Arroyo should be able to secure recruiting classes that can compete with the rest of the Mountain West.

Have gun, will travel

In 17 years of coaching, Arroyo has had nine different stops. He has never stayed with one team longer than four years. His average tenure is 1.9 seasons.

What does that mean? Based simply on the statistics (and common sense), it means Arroyo won’t be at UNLV for long. Either he’ll fail to win and be fired like so many before him, or he’ll turn the program around, lead the Rebels to a bowl game and start soliciting offers from power-conference schools.

That’s life in the Mountain West. Arroyo is young and presumably ambitious, and if he elevates UNLV football to the point that bigger programs come courting the coach, that will be good for the Rebels.