UNLV football using spring to focus on deep passing game

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Friday, April 8, 2022 | 2 a.m.

Incoming transfer Ricky White has only been on the field with the UNLV football team for a handful of spring practices at this point, but the sophomore wide receiver already has a concrete opinion of what he believes the offense will look like in 2022.

“Really explosive,” White said. “We’re going to take deep shots and get our playmakers the ball. We’ve got good receivers.”

Deep shots?

“Most definitely.”

UNLV was no slouch when it came to throwing the ball down the field last season, as the team ranked 45^th nationally in yards per completion (12.7 yards), but heading into head coach Marcus Arroyo’s third year at the helm, it seems the program has a chance to take it to the next level. Due to some solid portal recruiting, Arroyo finds himself with a deep, talented receiving corps and quarterback play to match.

Now, he says, it’s time for the Scarlet and Gray to start converting that talent into consistent big-play production.

“The ante has been raised,” Arroyo said. “You can see that. We’ve kind of recruited that way, so we can impact the vertical passing game. So far so good.”

White is expected to play a big part in transforming what had been a run-centric offense in 2021. The 6-foot-1 sophomore from Marietta, Ga., was a 4-star prospect coming out of high school and flashed as a freshman last year at Michigan State. With his size and speed combo, White should bring an added dimension to UNLV’s downfield passing game.

Arroyo mentioned White and Tennessee transfer quarterback Harrison Bailey (not coincidentally a high-school teammate of White’s at Marietta) as two players who are especially benefitting from spring practice as they try to get up to speed in his offensive system.

In White’s case, that means learning how to line up all across the formation as Arroyo tries to extract maximum production out of his new deep threat.

“He can stretch the field vertically,” Arroyo said of White. “He’s caught a couple balls the last two days both horizontally and vertically down the field with the ability to make an explosive play. Moving him around is probably the next piece, getting him from one position and see if he can move around, because our offense moves guys in slots and outside to be able to put the most pressure on a defense.”

UNLV was dealt a blow Wednesday when junior receiver Steve Jenkins announced his intention to enter the transfer portal. Jenkins caught 46 passes for 694 yards and four touchdowns last year, all team highs, but there should still be enough speed and athleticism among the receivers to effectively execute Arroyo’s desired deep passing game.

Junior Kyle Williams, coming off a 42-catch, 601-yard campaign, certainly thinks UNLV has enough pieces to put the pedal to the floor when throwing the ball.

“We have a lot more weapons to be used,” Williams said. “I feel like the ball is going to be spread well. It should be deep threats all day. It’s going to be exciting.”

Williams averaged 14.3 yards per catch last year and hauled in a 75-yard touchdown, and judging by the way he describes UNLV’s spring sessions, he and the rest of the receivers are going to get a lot more deep targets in 2022.

“That’s been our goal, and for the past four days, that’s really all we’ve been doing. We’ve been trying to get more deep shots.”

While Williams and White are poised to lead the receiving corps, sophomore Zyell Griffin returns after averaging 22.9 yards per catch in limited action last year, while incoming juco transfers Jeff Weimer and Senika McKie have also earned early praise from Arroyo for their ability to get open behind the defense and work down the field.

Nearing the midway point of spring practice, Arroyo continues to tinker with ways to unlock the offense and sounds downright giddy at the prospect of drawing up plays to take advantage of his new toys.

“It gives you a chance to press things down the field in our offense,” Arroyo said. “The ability for us to see where these guys can be a threat on the football field and how the quarterbacks can challenge the defense vertically. When you get guys who can take the top off on both sides, outside and inside, you can really stretch the field and put pressure on nickels and safeties and corners, so that gives the quarterbacks a chance to put the ball in a lot of different areas.”

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