Odom: QBs 'on the right track' following UNLV scrimmage

The UNLV football team has passed the midpoint of training camp, but head coach Barry Odom is still unbothered by the question mark hovering above the quarterback position.

The Scarlet and Gray held an intrasquad scrimmage over the weekend, and while Odom didn’t come out of the simulated game ready to name a starter for Week 1, he does believe the finish line is in sight.

Following a padded practice at the Fertitta Football Complex on Monday, Odom said the contenders still have time to make their cases.

“Specifically at the quarterback position, we’re not ready yet to make a decision,” Odom said. “I thought all three that are in the battle did some good things on Saturday, and also we’ve got work to do in that area.”

Sixth-year senior Hajj-Malik Williams continues to take the majority of first-team reps. Grad transfer Matthew Sluka has worked with the second and third teams, while also mixing in with the first-team offensive line and skill players.

Senior Cameron Friel has also received a fair amount of reps through the first two-plus weeks of camp, suggesting that Odom and his staff have not yet pared down the competition to two finalists.

Last week, standout receiver Ricky White endorsed all three passers, while offensive coordinator Brennan Marion shared his belief that they would all fit in his fast-paced go-go attack.

Williams, a transfer from Campbell, has been immersed in the offense since spring practice and played well in the team’s spring game. Sluka was a late addition, as academic commitments kept him at Holy Cross through the spring semester, but he has done his best to soak up the playbook since arriving at UNLV for the summer semester.

Odom said he will use a blend of analytics and coaching instincts to ultimately make the decision.

UNLV charts every play in training camp, tracking the quarterbacks’ performance in 7-on-7, 9-on-9 and 11-on-11 drills. But with so many permutations involved, Odom doesn’t want to rely strictly on numbers to determine which player will start at Houston on Aug. 31.

“That position, the stat line can sometimes be misleading. If there’s a tipped ball that results in an interception, is that the quarterback or did we have a breakdown in the depth of the route, the protection up front? Or was it a true quarterback mistake?”

Odom is striving to make practices more efficient in order to maximize the amount of reps available to his quarterbacks. The idea is that more data will help the coaching staff make a more informed decision.

To that end, Odom said UNLV has registered more snaps in training camp than at the same point in 2023.

With less than two weeks remaining before game-week prep begins, the decision is looming.

“I think we’re on the right track in getting that settled,” Odom said. “I want to see a cleaner efficiency from all three on taking care of the football, on getting us in or out of the right play call with the look we’re getting on the other side, and then the small things of body language and commanding leadership and taking control. [You’re] not allowed to have a bad day.”

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