At offseason midpoint, UNLV football looking forward to 2021

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Friday, June 25, 2021 | 2 a.m.

From the outside looking in, this would appear to be a quiet time of year for UNLV football, as the team is nearly two months removed from spring practice and still more than a month away from opening training camp. But on the inside, the machine is humming.

Every UNLV player is now on campus and participating in the offseason program; the team is holding regular weight-room sessions, and the NCAA allows two player-led practices per week.

Second-year head coach Marcus Arroyo likes what he is seeing, on the field, in the practice facility and on the sideline.

“This is a really important phase for us,” Arroyo said. “Everyone is here. Everyone is in a meal plan, everyone is in program planning, all 25 new signees plus walk-ons, so there’s an infusion of new guys into the program. We’ve got some new coaches as well. Now we press on into our first summer. I’m excited about the growth.”

A look at some of the key storylines for UNLV football at this point in the offseason:

Quarterback battle ongoing

On the team’s post-spring depth chart, sophomores Doug Brumfield and Justin Rogers are listed as the co-No. 1 quarterback, with freshman Cameron Friel as the third stringer. That’s not a surprise, as Brumfield enjoyed a solid spring and Rogers brings the most experience, but it sounds like there may be more of a gap between the veterans and the freshman than expected.

Arroyo said he is leaning on Brumfield and Rogers with an eye toward camp.

“Cameron just got here, he’s a true freshman,” Arroyo said. “Justin and Doug have already been here and they’ve done a nice job leading as we transition into our first offseason. Cameron continues to be a high-level freshman as far as his size, mental aptitude and growth potential, but Justin and Doug, they’ve been around a little bit longer. Not much longer, but those two guys will be the guys that will fight for it throughout camp.”

UNLV’s quarterback for 2021 is on the team now

Recent developments such the NCAA transfer portal and immediate eligibility for transfers have turned the college landscape into a bit of a free-agent marketplace, with some teams jumping on the quarterback carousel after spring practice.

But while UNLV’s No. 1 spot is up for grabs, Arroyo said the solution won’t be coming from outside the program.

“We don’t have a choice,” Arroyo said. “We have no free agents. We’re out of scholarships.”

So, barring a corresponding move that opens up a roster spot, fans can stop speculating about Tate Martell or some other disgruntled QB coming in to save the day at the last minute. With UNLV at its scholarship limit, it will either be Brumfield, Rogers or Friel taking the snaps when the 2021 season kicks off.

“One of those guys has to be the starter,” Arroyo said.

Jacoby Windmon’s position change is going well

Jacoby Windmon broke out as UNLV’s best player in 2020, racking up 39 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss and two passes defensed in just six games. He did most of that damage lined up on the edge as an outside linebacker, but he will be moving inside in 2021 as the team hopes to take better advantage of his playmaking ability.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior is listed as the starter at UNLV’s “Jack” position, which ostensibly lines up next to the inside linebacker, with strongside and weakside linebackers on each side of the formation.

Arroyo believes the shift will benefit both Windmon and the team defense.

“With Jacoby now at inside linebacker it puts him in the middle of the defense and he really becomes a guy that can play sideline-to-sideline instead of just on the edge,” Arroyo said. “It makes him the heart of the defense, right down the middle, and when your defense is strong down the middle it takes away a lot of what the offense is trying to do.”

The defensive front could be transformed

The UNLV defense offered little resistance at the line of scrimmage last year, allowing opponents to rush for 6.3 yards per carry, the second-worst mark in the nation, and 255.0 yards per game, which was the sixth-worst total. Arroyo thinks the defensive front will be much more effective in 2021, based on both the internal improvements from returning players and the contributions from newcomers along the front.

Senior Connor Murphy, a 6-foot-7, 270-pound transfer from USC, is listed atop the depth chart at one defensive end position, while senior Kylan Wilborn, a 6-foot-2, 245-pound transfer from Arizona, is listed as a co-starter at strongside linebacker (along with freshman Brennon Scott).

“We’ve added some guys to the front,” Arroyo said. “There’s growth potential there. There’s a learning curve [for the newcomers] with how to play the front and then a toughness about it. I think they’ve all done a good job in the spring.”

Both Murphy and Wilborn performed well during the spring, and Arroyo also offered returning veterans Adam Plant (weakside linebacker), Kolo Uasike (nose tackle) and Tavis Malakius (defensive end) as players who have stepped up since the end of 2020.

Secondary relying on internal improvement

Fans might look at the depth chart and shudder at the secondary, since the projected starters were all part of the defensive backfield last year when UNLV allowed 8.4 yards per pass attempt (109^th in the nation). But Arroyo has seen more dependable play from that group through the offseason and thinks they’ll be able to hold up better in 2021.

“We saw growth there,” Arroyo said. “Guys like Aaron Lewis played better. Nohl Williams was a true freshman last year and he has really settled in. We saw growth from those guys in the spring, and we added some young guys to that mix who are really good recruits.”

Among the incoming freshmen, cornerback Kamren Blanton, safety Jaylen Lane and safety Johnathan Baldwin are 3-star recruits who figure to enter the mix in training camp.

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