Former Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Anthony Colandrea warms up before a game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

UNLV QB Battle: Evaluating Anthony Colandrea’s High-Risk, High-Reward Potential

Originally posted on UNLV Rebels on SI
By Mark Morales-Smith | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 11:29 AM ET

We have continuously seen a wide range of opinions on new UNLV Rebels quarterback Anthony Colandrea this offseason. Colandrea is a polarizing transfer from the Virginia Cavaliers who is competing with Michigan Wolverines transfer Alex Orji this summer for the starting job in Las Vegas. He is a high-upside gun-slinger who can both win you a game with his arm or lose you a game with his mistakes. Recently, when discussing Cavalier quarterbacks from both last season and this season, Jackson Caudell of Virginia Cavaliers On SI, gave his take on what Colandrea brought to the table at Virginia:

"Last season, Colandrea threw for over 2,100 yards with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He played over 700 snaps according to PFF and finished with a pedestrian 64.2 overall grade. While he was far from perfect, Colandrea was not afraid to take chances and also added a dual-threat element to the position, rushing for nearly 300 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Muskett was the opposite. He did not make the kind of big plays that Colandrea could at times and also still threw interceptions."

This is the same take we have had all offseason. It's the reason why we have projected Orji to get the first shot at the starting job this season, but also left the door open for Colandrea to get his shot as well. We have even floated around the possibility of head coach Dan Mullen deploying both quarterbacks at times, situationally. It will be interesting to see what version of Colandrea this UNLV staff can get out of him and if they can develop him to come close to reaching his upside by limiting his mistakes.