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Alex Orji Development Crucial To UNLV’s Playoff Hopes

Originally posted on Dice City Sports | By Robert LaMar | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 12:19 PM ET

Dan Mullen’s offensive system has long been known for maximizing dual-threat quarterbacks, dating back to names like Alex Smith Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, Dak Prescott, and Nick Fitzgerald and Anthony Richardson. So when Alex Orji transferred to UNLV, the pairing immediately raised eyebrows for good reason. Orji could very well thrive or struggle in Mullen’s scheme.

Dan Mullen is widely respected as one of the premier quarterback developers in college football arguably second only to Lincoln Riley at USC. His offensive system is demanding, requiring a quarterback to master both pre snap reads and post snap adjustments, but when executed properly, it consistently produces elite results.

Now, Alex Orji is Mullen’s next big project at quarterback. Known for his raw athleticism and dual-threat ability, Orji has the physical tools to thrive in Mullen’s system. The key will be refining his passing mechanics and gaining full command of the playbook. Two areas where Mullen has consistently elevated quarterbacks in the past.

I think UNLV football has a higher floor with Alex Orji and a higher ceiling with Colandrea.

This is going to be an interesting judgment call for Mullen, and while I think Collandrea is the favorite, its basically a guarantee that both will get PT.

Excited to do film review

— Jason W Kelly (@jasonkredline) July 14, 2025

Banking on development

Without a doubt Dan Mullen’s track record includes turning unpolished prospects into first-round draft picks. He played a critical role in helping Anthony Richardson before his departure, fine tunning his mechanics. Ultimately propelling him into the first round of the NFL Draft despite having limited starting experience. Mullen’s ability to mold quarterbacks with raw traits into polished professionals is well documented.

Orji is 6’3″, 235 lbs has elite speed for a quarterback. He showed how dynamic he was in design quarterback runs and RPO design plays. But his ultimate weakness was his ability as a passer. Which is something that he’s gonna have to really improve on and quickly. His ability to evolve as a passer is the fine line between him being a just another transfer quarterback, to him being an elite NFL quarterback prospect. You can’t teach his speed! But if he’s able to learn mechanics and read defenses better. Then UNLV has the potential to be a playoff team this season.

This article first appeared on Dice City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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