UNLV starting quarterback remains a mystery with opener looming

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022 | 2 a.m.

Who's going to be the guy: Doug Brumfield or Harrison Bailey?

For the second straight year, UNLV’s quarterback competition is going down to the wire.

At his weekly press conference on Monday, Marcus Arroyo said he has not yet decided on a starter for Saturday’s season opener against Idaho State, and the third-year head coach affirmed that when he does make a decision, he won’t announce it ahead of time.

So get ready to learn UNLV’s starting quarterback when he jogs out onto the field at Allegiant Stadium for the first series.

“We don’t know that yet,” Arroyo said when asked about the identity of his No. 1 QB. “Once we get to Saturday kickoff, you’ll have a guy out there in the game.”

Brumfield and Bailey have been battling for the job for months now. Bailey transferred in from Tennessee in the offseason and looked to have the inside lane heading into spring practice, and he appeared to score a knockout blow when Brumfield entered the transfer portal midway through spring. But Brumfield returned to the UNLV program a week later, and at the end of spring Brumfield and Cameron Friel were listed as co-starters, with Bailey at No. 3 on the depth chart.

Despite the dramatic twists and turns surrounding the battle at the sport’s most important position, Arroyo dismissed interest in the team’s quarterback situation as “clickbait.”

“I know everyone wants those answers all the time, at every level,” Arroyo said. “'Who’s going to be the guy? Who’s going to be the guy?' That’s all clickbait.”

Arroyo said Brumfield and Bailey will continue to share practice reps with the first-string offense this week, with Friel also seeing some action.

Arroyo’s decision looms large, as UNLV went through a similar situation last year — with disastrous results.

Leading up to the 2021 campaign, Brumfield and Justin Rogers engaged in a competition for the starting job that lasted through the entire offseason, and like this time around, Arroyo did not name a starter before the opening game. Rogers eventually took the field in Week 1 against Eastern Washington and bombed, passing for 23 yards through two-and-a-half quarters before Arroyo was forced to pull the plug.

Brumfield entered the game and rallied UNLV from a double-digit deficit to force overtime, but Eastern Washington prevailed in double overtime.

One option, if Arroyo cannot make up his mind, would be to rotate quarterbacks or devise some kind of game plan that utilizes both Brumfield and Bailey throughout the game.

Arroyo didn’t rule out playing more than one QB, but as of Monday he and his staff had not begun the task of focusing the playbook to be opponent-specific.

“No plan for that yet,” Arroyo said. “Obviously both guys have been prepared to play because you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

With Arroyo committed to keeping his decision a secret, the media turned to receiver Kyle Williams, who was asked if he had any inside information.

Williams presented a united front.

“My lips are sealed,” he said.

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