The UNLV Rebels Have 'One Of The Best Transfer Classes In The Country On Paper'

We are inching closer to the kickoff of the UNLV Rebels football season. They are a polarizing team, and everyone has had a take on how good they are going to be this season. The reason they are so polarizing is that they've undergone a head coaching change from a man who turned the program around, in Barry Odom, to possibly an even better coach, in Dan Mullen. However, losing Odom still casts doubt on whether the team can maintain the same success under Mullen as they achieved with Odom.

The UNLV roster has also been almost completely rebuilt from even just a year ago, when they made it to the Mountain West Conference Championship game. Mullen hit the transfer portal hard and came away with an incredible haul of players. This team has an extremely wide range of outcomes. Recently, RJ Young of Fox Sports gave his take on the 2025 Rebels, ranking them the 72nd team in the country.

Fox Sports' Take

"Don't look now, but Dan Mullen made his return to coaching in Las Vegas with one of the best transfer classes in the country on paper. New Rebels include former Michigan QB Alex Orji, Penn State RB Keyvone Lee, Texas WR Troy Omeire, Alabama WR JoJo Earle, LSU WR Koy Moore, Texas State DE Tunmise Adeleye, Texas A&M DB Denver Harris and former Georgia DB Jake Pope.

That's 16 former four-star and five-star players, and with former Urban Meyer and Ryan Day assistant Corey Dennis calling plays, UNLV is the team to watch early in the Group of 6."

Like most takes, this one focuses on the transfer class, which makes sense, being that the transfers will make up the vast majority of the starters. This team's success will hinge on how quickly Mullen and his coaching staff can bring all these new players together, build chemistry, and get them to gel. The talent and all the pieces to the puzzle are there in Las Vegas; Mullen just has to figure out how to make them all fit.

If he does, this is a team that could win the Mountain West Conference or at least give the Boise State Broncos a run for their money. There is also a strong chance that the winner of the Mountain West could once again earn a spot in the College Football Playoffs this year.