Michigan quarterback Alex Orji (10) runs against Oregon during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The UNLV Rebels Lose Quarterback Alex Orji For The Remainder Of The Season

Originally posted on UNLV Rebels on SI
By Mark Morales-Smith | Last updated Sep 8, 2025 10:15 PM ET

The UNLV Rebels received some brutal news on Monday. They learned that quarterback Alex Orji will be out for the remainder of the 2025 season due to a Grade 3 LCL sprain that tore his hamstring off of the bone this past weekend in the Rebels' win over the UCLA Bruins. The senior transferred from the Michigan Wolverines this offseason and was in competition all summer for the starting job with Virginia Cavaliers transfer Anthony Colandrea. While Colandrea had pulled away with the primary quarterback job, Orji was still being used in key situations and scored the game-winning touchdown in Week 0 against the Idaho State Bengals.

This is a tough way for his senior season to end. He was considered one of the leaders on the team and a crucial part of the locker room and team chemistry. UNLV head coach Dan Mullen spoke about what Orji means to this team both on and off the field after receiving the news.

"The devastating part if not just the loss of his talent on the field, but his leadership, his demeanor, the man that he is; it's just heartbreaking," Mullen said.

“The devastating part is not just the loss of his talent on the field, but his leadership, his demeanor, the man that he is, it’s just heartbreaking.” - Coach Mullen on backup QB Alex Orji being out for the season due to a hamstring injury. @KTNV pic.twitter.com/qMCMOUMv2p
— Alex Eschelman (@alexeschelman) September 9, 2025

The Rebels will now have to move forward with Colandrea handling all of the quarterback duties. While he has played great this season, they will miss having Orji's electric legs at their disposal, and having such a strong depth piece that they could bring bench. Nevertheless, they will be without him as he recovers from the surgery he is expected to undergo in the near future.

All they can do now is wish him a speedy and full recovery. Knowing what we know about Orji, it's likely that he will still do everything in his power to positively impact this team in some way moving forward. It's a sad night in Las Vegas, but they will have to find a way to move forward and turn this negative into a positive and rally around their fallen teammate.

The next time they take the field will be in Week 4 on the road on Saturday, September 20, when they take on the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks. That will be their first game without one of their key leaders.

This article first appeared on UNLV Rebels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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