Experience wanted in potential UNLV football coach candidates

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022 | 2 a.m.

We are on Day 4 of UNLV’s search for a head football coach, and no one has emerged as a clear choice yet.

Athletic director Erick Harper hasn’t played his hand, but at his Monday press conference he did reveal a couple key details about the type of coach he wants to hire.

First and foremost, he indicated that experience is going to be a prerequisite. Harper wants someone who has been a head coach before; whether that means Power 5, Group of 5, FBS or anywhere in between, we don’t know, but presumably he wants to see a résumé with some winning seasons on it.

He also said he wants someone who will embrace the Las Vegas and UNLV communities. Marcus Arroyo insulated himself and alienated those around the program, and Harper would prefer the next coach be a little more personable.

Using that as a starting point, let’s run through some names who could fit the mold:

Prime candidates

Deion Sanders

There is one coach who has emerged as THE star of this offseason’s carousel, and that is Sanders. The Pro Football Hall of Famer has performed a miracle at Jackson State, recruiting 5-star caliber players to a HBCU while posting a 26-5 record in his three years at the helm. “Prime Time” may not be a conventional coach, but he’s got offers from at least one Power 5 school already and more are surely on the way. UNLV is pursuing Sanders, but does the school have enough money to meet his asking price (which includes a large salary pool for his core assistants)? Jackson State is playing in the SWAC championship game on Saturday; expect a decision on his next move shortly after that.

Proven pros

Bronco Mendenhall

Mendenhall had success at BYU and Virginia (career record 135-81), making him a proven winner. He stepped away after the 2021 season and took the year off to recharge, but at 56 years old it sounds like he’s ready to get back into the game. He made $4 million his last year at UVA, so UNLV would have to pay up in order to get his attention, but it would be money well-spent.

Gary Patterson

Patterson turned TCU into a power during his 20-plus years as head coach, and though his win-loss records began to slip later in his tenure, he’s surely overqualified to run the UNLV program. Patterson is currently a special assistant at Texas, and like Mendenhall, UNLV would probably have to dig deep in order to pay market price.

Second-chance guys

Tom Herman

Herman was the hottest coach in the country not that long ago. After helping guide Ohio State to a national championship as offensive coordinator in 2014, he took over the Houston program and led the Cougars to a 22-4 record over two years before moving on to Texas. He had four winning seasons there but was dismissed after the 2020 campaign for failing to lead the Longhorns back to national prominence. At 47 years old, Herman’s career record as a head coach is sparkling and he has had nice things to say about the UNLV program while serving as a TV analyst for CBS Sports Network.

Mike Stoops

This is more connection-based than the other possibilities, as Harper served as the associate AD of football operations during Stoops’ entire tenure as head coach at Arizona (2004-11). Stoops went 41-50 during that time but did log three winning seasons in his last four. Now 60, he has spent the past decade as an assistant at various schools and is currently the linebackers coach at Kentucky under his brother, Mark Stoops.

Scott Frost

Frost was fired just three games into this season, wrapping up his time at Nebraska with an underwhelming record of 16-31 (10-26 Big Ten). While his dream job may not have worked out for him, Frost has had massive success at the Group of 5 level before; he led UCF to a 13-0 season in 2017 in just his second year in charge.

First-timers

DeMarco Murray

Harper basically said those without head coaching experience need not apply, but Murray is a Las Vegas native and former NFL Pro Bowler who is ascending rapidly in the college coaching ranks. He has spent the last three years as Oklahoma’s running backs coach and has earned a reputation for being a good recruiter, even stealing some notable players from the valley — including Centennial product Rhamondre Stevenson, who followed him to Oklahoma and is now an NFL star. Murray may not be ready to be a head coach just yet, but could be an appealing assistant hire for whoever gets the job.

Radioactive reclamation projects

Nick Rolovich

I advocated for UNLV to consider Rolovich when the UNLV job was last open three years ago, but he eventually wound up at Washington State that offseason. His time there revealed him to be something of a lunatic when it came to the Covid-19 vaccine, and he ended up getting fired over it and suing the school. Rolovich is a good coach, but probably not the kind of person you want to put in charge of a program that is longing for stability.

Bryan Harsin

Harsin’s track record in the Mountain West is tailor-made for UNLV to throw a bag of money at him, while his short, scandal-ridden run at Auburn makes him a risky choice. He went 69-19 in seven years at Boise State, including a very tantalizing 45-8 mark in the Mountain West.

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