Breaking Down The Orji Vs. Colandrea Battle: Who Will Start At QB For UNLV In 2025?

This offseason, the UNLV Rebels football team lost their surprise 2024 breakout quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams who led the team to second-consecutive Mountain West Conference Championship Game appearance and an LA Bowl victory over the California Golden Bears. In his impressive 2024 season, he accounted for 28 TDs, 1,941 passing yards, and 851 rushing yards, while throwing just five interceptions.

Those are tough numbers to replace, but new head coach Dan Mullen, who brings a high-powered spread offense with him to Las Vegas, added two Power 4 quarterbacks to his roster through the transfer portal this offseason who are in an open competition for the starting job. They are former Virginia Cavalier Anthony Colandrea and former Michigan Wolverine Alex Orji. It should be a heated competition all summer, but we are going to predict who will ultimately come away with the starting job by the time we get to Week 1 kickoff. 

Colandrea brings more experience and nice mix of natural athleticism and arm talent. He plays with the confidence that coach Mullen likes in his quarterbacks. However, he also has his shortcomings. He has a tendency to hold on to the ball too long sometimes and can struggle when the pocket breaks down. Combine that with some inconsistent mechanics, and it has led to him throwing two many interceptions at times. Last year he threw 11 interceptions to just 13 touchdowns in 11 games. 

Orji has all the tools to be great, but was never quite able to put it all together and win the starting job for the Wolverines. His dual-threat ability and rocket of an arm gives him ton of upside as a potential playmaker in Mullen's offense. He's also been touted as a strong leader by just about everyone who knows him. However, while he has reportedly made strides as a passer this spring, he needs to make significant strides as a passer from what we saw during his time at Michigan. His lack of experience and struggles as a passer may end up making him look like more of an athlete playing quarterback than a true quarterback who can run a successful offense. 

UNLV Starting Quarterback Prediction

Orji Wins: We think the upside and X-factor of Orji earns him the Week 1 start for the Rebels. This coaching staff will be able to develop both quarterbacks, and as both improve their skill set, Orji brings more to the table. However, there is still a world where Mullen uses both quarterbacks similar to what we saw at Florida with Tim Tebow and Chris Leak when they were winning National Championships.  

More UNLV Rebels News: