UNLV: The Next Power 5 Program?
On what was supposed to be a joyus day for Marcus Arroyo turned sour when the former Rebels HC was fired approximetely 90 minutes before his Rebels were set to paint the Freemont Cannon red. The Cannon, awarded to the winner of the annual UNLV-UNR rivalry game spent the last two years in Reno before UNLV reclaimed it on Saturday. With their season seemingly over unless through pure magic the rebels get a bowl bid, it would be another season of dissapointment in Vegas. Regardless of a bowl bid, 2022 marks UNLV’s ninth straight losing season but there’s a lot to be excited about in Sin City. I will break down why Arroyo got fired, what UNLV has and where they could go from here.
One of my favorite things to do when I was a student and held a student job at UNLV was to walk around the football facility. The crown jewel was that the Freemont Cannon would be right in front of the enterence. Arroyo’s predecessor Tony Sanchez didn’t achieve much success in Vegas but he did one thing exceptionally well. He won the cannon. In Sanchez’s five Battle for Nevada appearances, Sanchez won the matchup three times. Sanchez tied for second in Battle for Nevada wins amung UNLV coaches was given the boot in favor of Arroyo who then AD Desiree Reed-Francois felt was the man to propel UNLV football into the future.
Arroyo who was OC at Oregon was coming off of a Rose Bowl win and Pac-12 title behind Justin Herbert and the thought was that he would inject that offense into UNLV. It was also give UNLV the success it would require in order the make the jump to the Pac-12. From an off the field standpoint, UNLV is the main university in one of America’s most rapidly growing cities that already is host to several major sporting franchises. Also UNLV has a top tier football complex and an NFL stadium as their home field. There was one major issue to this plan, Arroyo didn’t win.
Arroyo had a record of 7-23 including an 0-6 record in 2020 and 14 straight losses before picking up his first win. His only saving grace was that UNLV has a lot of ranked games on the schedule and he was losing one possesion games instead of blowouts. However he also had UNLV’s all time rusher Charles “Chuck Wagon” Williams in his backfield so there’s a question of talent vs scheme on why he had the sucess he had.
Big expectations awaited UNLV in 2022 and a 4-1 start with a conference win and it’s only loss being a six point defeat at Cal set the Rebs up for big time success. However they would lose 6 straight with 3 of those losses having a scoring differential of 3+ TDs. The nail in the coffin was a loss in Hawaii against a 3-10 Warriors squad in a clear rebuild. Arroyo only winning the Cannon by 5 points against a UNR team with a first year HC and a roster that is it’s worst in over a decade didn’t do him any favors.
But it’s deeper than that. Arroyo’s staff turnover was at a alarming rate. Arroyo was losing coaches and non football staffers left and right. Starting QB Doug Brumfield entered the transfer portal before returning to the school where he beat out transfer QB Harrison Bailey, a QB Arroyo hand picked for his offense. Long story short, Arroyo just wasn’t a good fit and the woman who hired him, Desiree Reed-Francois, went to the University of Missouri to be the AD there. I don’t know what Arroyo’s relationship is/ was with current UNLV AD Erick Harper but it clearly wasn’t good enough to keep his job.
Where does UNLV go from here? That depends. The football complex is titled the Fertitta Football Complex due to a massive endowment from the family that owns the Station Casinos that populate Las Vegas. Ohio State HC Ryan Day stated that Ohio State needs around 13 million dollars a year to maintain a championship roster. If Vegas is willing to shell out the cash, UNLV will need between 3.5-5 million a year to be on top of the Mountain West. That’s big money but an investment that is worth it to secure a Power 5 TV deal.
In terms of a coaching search, I want either a veteran big name or a splash hire that will attract attention. Several names come to mind. Former TCU HC Gary Patterson, current Marshall HC Charles Huff, current Auburn interim HC Cadillac Williams, former Wisconsin HC Paul Chryst and former Florida HC and current ESPN analyst Dan Mullen. There’s a reason John Robinson had so much success and that’s because he’s been there before.
Whatever happens, one thing is clear. What has been done hasn’t worked. Tommorrow is now. Go Rebels!
