UNLV Rebels Linebacker Marsel McDuffie is 'A Star'

The UNLV Rebels will have a lot of new faces on their defense this season, but the defender getting the most attention this offseason is a player who has spent his entire career with the Rebs. Linebacker Marsel McDuffie is expected to be one of their most productive players and leaders on defense. He has already been named to the Preseason All-Mountain West team.

The senior is man tasked with replacing reigning Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year Jackson Woodard, who is currently in training camp with the Houston Texans. Recently, Mountain West Connection spoke about McDuffie as well as the rest of the UNLV linebackers.

Mountain West Connection's Take

"The linebacker unit will be led by Marsel McDuffie. He was named onto the Preseason All-Mountain West Team. He was a star last year, in nine games, he made 46 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks. He’s looking to make an impact and become one of the best defenders in the Mountain West. Working alongside McDuffie will be Bryce Edmondson and Kamuela Ka’Aihue. Edmondson is a transfer from Memphis. Throughout his time with Memphis he was solid, racking up 45 tackles, three tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. He has great potential and working alongside McDuffie will be great for him. Ka’Aihue transferred from Arizona and he played in every game he was there totaling 26 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss."

The Rebels are expected to lean heavily on McDuffie this season, who will serve as the centerpiece of their defense. The rest of the linebacking corps is also loaded with high-end talent that they added from Power 4 schools through the transfer portal this offseason after Dan Mullen took over the head coaching job.

This defense will have some work to do as far as learning the system and building chemistry goes, but there is no lack of talent on any level, from the line to the secondary. Even with all that talent, McDuffie is projected to be the standout star.