New UNLV football coach Dan Mullen hasn’t shied away from using competition as a tool to evaluate his team.

The first spring scrimmage left him demanding that the team improve its pace of play. The defense came under his microscope in the second scrimmage as interim coordinator Paul Guenther began his takeover.

By the third and final spring scrimmage Saturday at the Fertitta Football Complex, Mullen prioritized one thing above all:

“For guys to have fun,” he said.

The practice was open to the friends and families of players and coaches. It was a packed house that seemed to accomplish Mullen’s goal.

From players performing excited celebratory dances after explosive receptions to hearing audible reactions from the large crowd, the Rebels created the environment of a spring game audience without traveling to Allegiant Stadium.

“Really, it’s a lot of the player’s families and top supporters,” Mullen said. “And (it’s) great. I think the families are so excited to come out, watch these guys come out and play, see all the work that they’ve put in and come have fun and come enjoy it as a big, giant, extended football family.”

‘Confidence growing’

Mullen said he opted to “get a lot of younger guys in” to give them an opportunity to record their argument for playing time on film. The expected starters also had time to shine, and the scrimmage ended about 15 minutes early.

Mullen evaluated how far his team has come since the first day of spring ball.

“I think you just see the confidence growing,” he said. “Obviously, day one, you’re learning … learning a new philosophy of how we practice, how we do things. And I think they’ve really bought into that from the beginning to the end of spring. I think you see it out here when you’ve got a team of guys out there that have learned to play hard, and they love ball.They really practice like pros, of taking care of each other, of still improving on the field, and I’m really, really impressed by the attitude.”

Junior quarterback Anthony Colandrea from Virginia, Mullen’s first transfer portal pickup after landing the UNLV job, showcased that mindset by diving for the pylons on two plays.

Headlining a quarterback room that includes former Michigan quarterback Alex Orji, along with returner Cameron Friel and freshman Gael Ochoa, Colandrea came away with praise Saturday.

“He can move around in the pocket, which is really good,” transfer safety Jake Pope said. “He can run, pass. He makes really good decisions.”

Break won’t be long

Pope is part of a defense that’s undergone changes since initial coordinator Zach Arnett departed for personal reasons.

“I think we put it all together today,” Pope, a former Georgia and Alabama defensive back, said. “Just a lot of people flying around, getting after it and giving a lot of effort, which you can’t coach.”

Pope described Guenther’s takeover as a gradual one.

“He likes to play fast. He likes to keep it nice and simple,” he said. “You know, we didn’t have much installed at first, because (Arnett left) so quick. But we have a bunch in now, and we’re going to add a little more. … So it’ll be good.”

Mullen noted that the time between spring ball and fall camp is going to be intentionally short.

“There’s so much going on right now, but we want to take a little breather,” he said. “Let them kind of reset. You gotta not just rest physically, you got to get little bit of rest mentally. But I want to come back in June to start going back to football.

“We need to be at the same level. Then obviously, we want to get a little bigger, faster, stronger over the summer as we get ready for fall camp. It’ll be an early fall camp this year.”

One of the obligations for Mullen and his camp during that time will be to fill some gaps left by last-minute transfers out of the program.

For running back Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas, the reason to return was simple.

“I came back just to keep something going, to start something better, just to keep Vegas in the spotlight,” he said. “Vegas is a great city. You know, my first offer was here. So I just wanted to give back to the city what they gave me.”

But losing in the Mountain West championship to Boise State in back-to-back years is what cemented his choice to stay.

“It’s a lot,” he said. “We came up short both years and it kind of hurt, but it’s just still a little drive on our shoulder just to keep pushing far forward and just get that championship.”

Contact Callie Fin at [email protected]. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.