Why Alex Orji Might Be UNLV’s Key To A Mountain West Championship And Playoff Berth

A lot hinges on the quarterback position this year for the UNLV Rebels football team. After starter Hajj-Malik Williams graduated, new head coach Dan Mullen brought in transfers Anthony Colandrea and Alex Orji. Both quarterbacks have their pros and cons, however, one may have a lot more upside than the other. Dice City Sports believes that it Orji develops and plays to his ceiling that he could lead the Rebels to the College Football Playoffs and become an NFL prospect. 

"Dan Mullen is widely respected as one of the premier quarterback developers in college football arguably second only to Lincoln Riley at USC. His offensive system is demanding, requiring a quarterback to master both pre snap reads and post snap adjustments, but when executed properly, it consistently produces elite results... Orji is 6’3″, 235 lbs has elite speed for a quarterback. He showed how dynamic he was in design quarterback runs and RPO design plays. But his ultimate weakness was his ability as a passer. Which is something that he’s gonna have to really improve on and quickly. His ability to evolve as a passer is the fine line between him being a just another transfer quarterback, to him being an elite NFL quarterback prospect. You can’t teach his speed! But if he’s able to learn mechanics and read defenses better. Then UNLV has the potential to be a playoff team this season."

This is a bold claim, but it makes a lot of sense. We have seen Mullen turn similar talents like Orji into NFL prospects before. Most recently, he helped develop Anthony Richardson at Florida who later became a first-round pick.

If Orji becomes a breakout star, he could very well lead the Rebels to a Mountain West Championship, which could earn them a College Playoff bid. Especially if they can knock off the Boise State Broncos in the process.