High hopes abound as UNLV football set to open camp

Five players on the preseason all-conference team, including the Mountain West co-Defensive Player of the Year. Multiple receivers named to preseason All-American watchlists. A projected spot in the MWC championship game.

Believe it or not, this is UNLV football in 2024.

The long-hapless program is now one of the hottest in the nation, and expectations are sky high heading into training camp, which opens Friday at the Fertitta Football Complex.

Can the Scarlet and Gray live up to the hype? Some key storylines to watch as Barry Odom’s squad looks to build on last year’s surprise success.

Quarterback competition

All eyes are on the quarterback position, and will be until Odom names a starter. That goes without saying for any team that harbors championship aspirations while holding open auditions at the game’s most important position.

Campbell transfer Hajj-Malik Williams and Holy Cross transfer Matt Sluka are the contenders, and the senior grad transfers each bring a different dimension to the offense, with Williams demonstrating a nice passing touch and Sluka offering more upside as a runner.

Williams was impressive in spring practice and played well in the intrasquad showcase on April 6 (14-of-22, 227 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions), but according to Odom, that hasn’t afforded him much of a head start over Sluka, who didn’t arrive on campus until just a few weeks ago.

Asked about the quarterback competition at Mountain West media day, Odom said it was actually a three-man race with Cameron Friel in the mix as well, and he added that all three would receive an equal opportunity to compete for the job.

“I think we’ve got three quarterbacks right now that can play winning football,” Odom said before segueing into a general take on other position battles up and down the roster.

There’s no rush for Odom and offensive coordinator Brennan Marion to name a starter. Last year there was no competition, as Doug Brumfield entered camp as the unquestioned starter; when he was injured early in the season, redshirt freshman Jayden Maiava stepped into the No. 1 role and played terrific ball, earning MWC Freshman of the Year honors. So the go-go offense has proved to be plug-and-play for quarterbacks.

Year 2 of go-go

Whoever wins the quarterback job will be handed the keys to a high-performance sports car. UNLV fielded the Mountain West’s top offense last year, leading the league in touchdowns (58) and scoring (34.4), and the Scarlet and Gray are once again loaded on that side of the ball.

The offensive line returns multiple starters from 2023, including All-MWC right tackle (and NFL Draft prospect) Tiger Shanks, and the receiving corps is headlined by All-American candidates Ricky White and Jacob De Jesus. There are myriad running backs to choose from, led by sophomore Jai’Den Thomas (team-best 12 touchdowns in 2023).

For the offense, training camp will be about fine-tuning Marion’s go-go scheme and folding in the newcomers.

How confident is UNLV in its ability to put points on the board? At media day, White proposed fast-forwarding straight to the real games.

“As a unit, we’re ready to go,” White said. “We’re ready to suit up right now and play tomorrow.”

Can defense keep up?

Some position groups, like the offensive line and wide receivers, will be fairly entrenched on Day 1 of training camp. Others, like the defensive backfield, are in flux, with newcomers and holdovers prepared to jostle over the next four weeks for bigger roles.

Cornerback Tony Grimes turned in several spectacular pass breakups in the spring game and is the leader to earn the starting job opposite returner Cameron Oliver. Texas transfer Jalen Catalon could be a playmaker at safety, making up for the loss of big-play specialist Jerrae Williams. But nothing is locked in yet.

Odom wants to see fierce competition throughout camp before he makes any decisions on defense.

“We understand we’ve got to play really good football,” he said. “We understand we’ve got to play really good early, and that every single rep through fall camp and the rest of our summer ball is going to matter and will dictate what the depth chart looks like.”

Playoff goals

UNLV was picked second in the Mountain West preseason poll, which would be a story in and of itself in a normal year. But 2024 is the first season under the new College Football Playoff format, which earmarks one of the 12 spots to the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion.

That guaranteed playoff berth has a lot of G5 teams dreaming big, and UNLV is one of them.

A strong showing in nonconference play, combined with a MWC title run — something decidedly within the team’s reach — and the Scarlet and Gray could find themselves in the CFP bracket, competing for a long shot national championship. That puts an added emphasis on having a good training camp and hitting the ground running for the season opener at Houston on Aug. 31.

White tried to downplay the preseason hype, but he admitted he and his teammates understood the stakes.

“Preseason is preseason for a reason,” White said. “We’re not too worried about what the ranking is. We know what our goal and our dream is.”

Odom said this team was mature enough to handle the lofty projections and still go about their business during camp.

“I’ve found it better with this team to be very open and honest,” Odom said. “Let’s not run away or shy away from those expectations. Let’s embrace them, because I would much rather be in this position than to not be talked about at all. So our guys are using it the right way.”

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