He made the commute from one program to the next over the course of several weeks, from beginning his time as UNLV’s new offensive line coach back to graduate assistant at Ohio State.
Mike Sollenne had every reason to keep climbing aboard airplanes for bowl games.
There was a national championship on the line.
Sollenne was part of the staff that led the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff title in January. It was after Dan Mullen hired him to coach the Rebels’ offensive line.
But time was made for Sollenne to finish his duties with Ohio State — he also worked with the offensive line there — and he’ll now receive a shiny ring for it.
“Have you seen it?” Sollenne asked.
Yes.
“It’s incredible,” he said. “Something you put a lot of time in for — spend a lot of time working for. The kids put in a lot of hours and sacrifice, and when you get to see them earn that opportunity, it’s really cool. That’s why you coach — to see them reach that level.”
Relentless effort
It’s unknown if UNLV will ever stand atop such a stage, but it won’t be for a lack of effort from a coach such as Sollenne. He follows the lead of his boss when talking about setting goals for the Rebels.
“Coach Mullen has said since the day we got here our goal is to win championships,” Sollenne said. “Talked about it with the players. We don’t shy away from it.
“If you play with relentless effort and have great leadership on your team, and the players are together, there’s no reason you can’t win the games you’re supposed to win and more.”
He uses that phrase — relentless effort — a lot. It’s how he wants the line to approach each snap, each block, each opportunity.
Sollenne was a graduate assistant for Mullen at Florida in 2020 and 2021 before spending the past three years at Ohio State, where he helped tutor a line that became one of the Big Ten’s best.
He helped guide a front that led the conference and ranked eighth nationally in fewest sacks allowed.
The Rebels will have their second of three spring scrimmages Friday, and if it’s anything like the first, expect to see what is a growing and improved line.
Many things encompass a Mullen offense when all is going well, not the least being a physical run game. The Rebels seem to have a deep enough running backs room to handle such a challenge.
They just need help from the big fellas.
“We saw in the first scrimmage a lot of guys flying around and bouncing around,” transfer center Reid Williams said. “Our team brought effort. We have to play (faster). Everything is about improvement. Obviously, we can push tempo and be faster.
“This position is about being physical. If you don’t like being physical, don’t play it.”
Sollenne liked what he saw in the first scrimmage, liked how players finished blocks and ran to the ball. It’s what he’s most excited about, the buy-in linemen have displayed.
He wants this as an identity for the program. That level of, yes, relentless effort.
“That has to be shown on film every day,” he said. “We need to play harder than the other team in everything we do. It’s not where it needs to be for September, but it’s getting better and better.”
Welcoming a daughter
It wasn’t just the commuting that Sollenne was dealing with upon accepting the UNLV job. Days before, his wife gave birth to a girl.
“My wife was outstanding,” he said. “Having a baby and packing up a house and moving to Vegas. It was a hard but exciting time for us.
“Coach Mullen was awesome in letting me (work both jobs). One week in Dallas for the Cotton Bowl and then back to Atlanta for the national championship. Enjoyed every second of it.”
Things have settled down now in that realm, and yet they haven’t. A successful Dan Mullen offense means a successful run game. Which means a successful offensive line.
Mike Sollenne has the chops to produce one.
Has that shiny new ring to prove it.
Contact Ed Graney at [email protected]. Follow @edgraney on X.
