Dan Mullen Sets Championship Expectations In First Year As UNLV Football Head Coach

Dan Mullen joined the UNLV Rebels as their head coach this offseason with one ultimate goal in mind. Win championships! Whether it's Mountain West Conference Championships or even National Championships, he wants to win them and has the intention of coaching with that goal in mind. While expectations from the outside may be high for the Rebels this season, Mullen made it clear that no one has higher expectations and standards for this team than he does. 

“I wanted an opportunity to win championships," Mullen said. "Last year, UNLV, we were a game away from winning the Mountain West and going to the College Football Playoff... For young guys in today’s world, in this NIL world … we’re in a place where there is legitimate NIL, where our guys go make appearances. You’re in a place where people actually get paid to go make appearances.”  

This is the mindset of a winner. If he is going to take UNLV to the next level like he was hired to do, this is exactly how he should be thinking. While these kinds of aspirations may have been looked at as inconceivable for this program just a few short years ago, that is no longer the case. This is a team that has a legitimate shot to win the Mountain West and potentially even make the College Football Playoffs. With some of the top teams in the conference leaving for the Pac-12 in 2026, the Rebels could even become a G5 powerhouse like what we have been seeing with the Boise State Broncos in recent years.

While a National Title may be farfetched, you got to be in it to win it, and this team has a shot of being in it. This is an exciting time to be a UNLV fan and the sky may be the limit under Mullen.