Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Brennon Scott injury complicates rebuild for UNLV football defense

UNLV Football Spring Showcase

Steve Marcus

UNLV Rebels linebacker LeShaun Bell, center, (9) and other players huddle before the UNLV Football Spring Showcase at Allegiant Stadium Saturday, April 23, 2022.

Sometimes it seems like UNLV football can’t catch a break, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

This offseason got off to a bad start when the team’s best player, linebacker Jacoby Windmon, transferred to Michigan State, and the situation got worse on Monday with news that the team could be without up-and-coming linebacker Brennon Scott for the foreseeable future.

Scott, a redshirt sophomore, suffered a knee injury in spring practice and has missed the first three days of training camp.

Head coach Marcus Arroyo steered clear of categorizing Scott’s status on Monday, but it seems as though the promising sophomore might be out until 2023.

“Unfortunately, he’s out right now,” Arroyo said. “His return to play is yet to be determined, but he’s got a pretty serious injury that unfortunately occurred for us. He’s going to be missed, but he’s still a big moral piece of this team.”

Scott was one of the headliners of Marcus Arroyo’s first recruiting class in 2020. A three-star prospect out of Dallas, Scott chose UNLV over Kansas, Arizona, Arizona State, USC and Texas. He redshirted during the pandemic season in 2020, then came on strong as a freshman in 2021.

Scott’s playing time increased as the campaign went on. In his first five games, he compiled 3.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks; in his final five contests, Scott racked up 6.5 TFLs and 3.0 sacks.

That explosive finish positioned Scott for a breakout year in 2022. During spring practice he was listed as a starter as a stand-up outside linebacker (which is called the “STUD” position in UNLV’s defensive system), but the knee injury caused him to miss the spring finale, which was a showcase at Allegiant Stadium that was open to the public.

Scott’s absence has opened up a competition at edge rusher. Senior Adam Plant will start at one outside linebacker spot, while a group made up of senior Isaiah Sayles, junior LeShaun Bell and senior Elijah Shelton will battle for first-string status on the other side of the line.

Sayles is a transfer from FCS Missouri State, where he registered 36 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks last year. Bell was another high-profile recruit in the Class of 2020 but has played sparingly over his first two years, posting just 5.0 tackles and 0.5 TFLs in his career. Shelton played his first three years at Utah State and compiled 41 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and 2.0 sacks; he transferred to Utah last year but did not play, leaving him with two years of eligibility remaining.

Arroyo said those three, and specifically Sayles and Shelton, are trying their best to get up to speed.

“I think that’s exciting,” Arroyo said. “Those guys are learning the defense. We’re getting them a lot of reps. We’re demanding a lot of them, but we’ve got to find out right away who’s going to be next in the rotation because of the experience there that Scott had.”

Senior Austin Ajiake, who has been a rock at inside linebacker for the last two years, was sorry to see Scott go down but is now trying to keep the focus on the players who are available.

“Next man up,” Ajiake said. “It sucks that we lost him. On a personal level I wish he was out there too, and I know he wishes he was there as well, but it’s a contact sport and injuries like that happen all the time. You just pray for him, pray for a speedy recovery, but a guy behind him has got to step up.”

Through the early part of training camp, Ajiake likes what he has seen from the potential replacements.

“The outside linebacker room, I think as far as the defense, that was the room where we got the most talent brought in,” he said. “We talk about Isaiah Sayles, he done stepped up because of the injury, and Adam Plant is still there. I think that room is going to be fine.”

Arroyo said Scott has been providing off-the-field support while he rehabs his injury. In the meantime, the Scarlet and Gray badly need someone to replace his production, or the defense stands little chance of stopping opponents in 2022.

“Anybody who’s that competitive and has had that kind of effect on a team, especially early on in Year 1, to go to be in a situation where your return to play is questioned, is hard. It’s a really tough deal,” Arroyo said. “It’s one of those gut punches. You’ve got to find the next man up. You’ve got to be able to rally and I’m sure Brennon knows how much we need him morally and to pick up everything in our group, and he’s going to do that. He’ll be great for that, and he has been so far. But we’ve got to move on. We’ve got to find the next guy.”

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

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy