UNLV opened spring practice Thursday at the Fertitta Football Complex with a clear void under center. Anthony Colandrea, last season’s Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, transferred to Nebraska, leaving the Rebels to sort through a trio of candidates: senior Jackson Arnold, returning senior Alex Orji, and freshman Derek Garcia.
Arnold, a transfer from Auburn who began his career at Oklahoma, took reps alongside Orji and Garcia in the first of 15 spring sessions. Orji, who suffered a Grade 3 LCL sprain against UCLA last season and underwent surgery, participated but remains limited. Coach Dan Mullen estimated Orji is about 50 percent healthy.
“Alex is such a pro, the ultimate program guy,” Mullen said. “Whether it’s his leadership or work ethic or attitude or intelligence, what he brings to the field is special.”
Mullen noted that Orji’s experience in the offense, even while recovering, helps the other quarterbacks learn. “He understands not to push himself. He’s working to get (healthy) and not put himself at risk. That’s not easy to do, and it shows the type of maturity he has.”
Arnold, whom Mullen recruited before Arnold chose Auburn, is now in the fold. “He’s doing a pretty good job. We did some OTA stuff and looked at some things he has done in the past and is comfortable with,” Mullen said. “If guys earn their playing time, we’ll go play them. We saw that last year at quarterback, when we were rolling (Colandrea and Orji) through until Alex got hurt.”
Mullen emphasized that the competition extends beyond the quarterback room. The Rebels, coming off a season that ended with a loss in the Mountain West championship game and the Frisco Bowl, are focused on finishing. “Our guys are competing, making sure they’re giving maximum effort on what they can contribute to this team,” he said.
Senior running back Jai’Den Thomas, who rushed for 1,036 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, chose to return rather than transfer. “He came back to get his name in the record books at UNLV,” Mullen said. “I’m really excited about the year he’s going to have.”
For now, the quarterback race remains wide open. Spring practice continues through April, with the annual spring game expected in a few weeks.
