UNLV Rebels Offensive Line 'Is Filled With Trench Warriors'

When the UNLV Rebels hired Dan Mullen to take over their football program, we knew he was going to start building the program up in the trenches. That's exactly what he did when he started to hit the transfer portal. The offensive line has just one remaining starter from Barry Odom's team last season. However, that doesn't mean they aren't loaded with talent. The line may not get the recognition some of the other, more flashy positions get, but they may be the most important aspect of a football team.

This group will need to come together and build chemistry to work as a unit, but once they get that down, they should be a strong group. The projected starters are Austin Boyd, James Faminu, Malik McGowan, Reid Williams, and Donovan Mason. That's a talented group. Mountain West Connection recently broke this group down.

Mountain West Connection's Take

"The offensive line is filled with trench warriors. Austin Boyd is the vet for the front five, and he will step into that role after being taught well last season by Jalen St. John. He is the only returning starter on the offensive line. The left tackle will be James Faminu who used to play rugby in England. He transferred in from Temple. The left guard will be Malik McGowan who transferred in from North Carolina. He’s 6’5” and 325 pounds and he has the opportunity to make a name for himself in the Mountain West conference simply because of his size. The starting center will be Reid Williams and he was a star at Chattanooga. He won the FCS Rimington Award, which means he was the best center in the FCS last season. Finally, the starting right guard will be Donovan Mason who transferred in from Coastal Carolina, who had a great offensive line last season. Since he has experience in a high performing offensive line unit, imagine what he can do with this UNLV unit."

There is a lot of talent on this line, but we are most excited to watch center Reid Williams. He is going to anchor the center of the line and has a real chance to be something special if he can once again take his game to the next level. Faminu will also be asked a lot, sliding in at left tackle. At this point, this mostly new group of guys is just competing against the clock. With the Rebels' season kicking off in Week 0, they only have so much time to come together as a well-oiled machine. We don't doubt the talent; nevertheless, it is a matter of how quickly they can come together.