3 things to watch as UNLV football begins fall camp

As UNLV football coach Barry Odom walked through the back entrance of Las Vegas tourist attraction Area 15, he basked in the time with his wife, Tia.

It was the couple’s last free night together before the demanding schedule of his second season with the Rebels.

The Scarlet and Gray’s leader passed through a purple carpet and psychedelic backdrop en route to an advanced screening event Wednesday for ESPN Films’ new project “Rhythm Masters,” which Odom was invited to by ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson, his longtime friend.

Thompson and Odom have remained in contact since they attended college together at Missouri. Odom earned two degrees in education during that time, and he still remembers the journalism courses he took with Thompson.

Although Odom didn’t pursue a career in writing, the reigning Mountain West Coach of the Year is weaving his own story in Las Vegas, and the tale of UNLV’s most anticipated season yet begins Friday.

Here are three things to watch as UNLV opens training camp:

1. Big expectations

Accolades for the Rebels’ loaded roster keep coming in. The team enters the 2024 campaign projected to finish second in the Mountain West, with multiple players on preseason watchlists for national awards.

Senior wide receiver/kick returner/punt returner Jacob De Jesus was named to the official watchlist for the Paul Hornung Award for college football’s most versatile player Thursday, a day after he landed on the watchlist for the Jet Award (top kick returner).

Last week, UNLV senior linebacker Jackson Woodard landed on the watchlist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which honors college football’s best defensive player. Ricky White III was featured on the watchlist for the Maxwell Award, which will go to college football’s top overall player.

The aforementioned players, along with senior offensive tackle Tiger Shanks and senior cornerback Cameron Oliver, were on the preseason all-conference team. This comes after the Rebels didn’t have a single such honoree for three consecutive seasons.

While the Rebels aren’t fazed by the early expectations, Odom emphasized the team’s focus on media day.

“The margin of error for us is slim to none,” he said. “So we’ve got to win the close games. We got to do a great job. And hopefully at the end of November, we’re in that race again this year.”

2. Who will be QB?

Odom and offensive coordinator Brennan Marion have yet to name a starting quarterback.

While the battle seems to be between Campbell transfer Hajj-Malik Williams and Holy Cross transfer Matt Sluka, Odom noted on media day that senior Cameron Friel shouldn’t be excluded from the discussion, which won’t be finalized anytime soon.

Williams was the standout from UNLV’s spring game, as he completed 14 of 22 passes for 227 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

“We’ve got three quarterbacks,” Odom said. “The practice structure going into fall camp is that they all get even reps. And you know, I think we’ve got three quarterbacks right now that can play winning football and play at a high level.”

Signal-caller isn’t the only position where starting positions have yet to be determined, Odom said.

“We’ve got a bunch on the defensive backfield, really at every position right now,” Odom said. “There’s battles that are going to have to play out. It’s important we keep an open mind with that because it’s such a long season. We’re gonna need everybody on the roster to go get this thing done.”

3. Can defense match offense?

It’s no secret that Marion’s Go-Go offense was a killer last season. With it, the Rebels’ red-zone offense finished eighth in the nation at 93.1 percent and notched more third-down conversions than any team in the NCAA with 101.

Amid that success, UNLV’s defense showed room for improvement. The Rebels lost their last three games and gave up 449 passing yards in a 49-36 loss to Kansas in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

Defensive coordinator Mike Scherer is tasked with changing things. Odom said it helps that the team has defensive and offensive leaders on the field in Woodard and White.

“When your best players are your hardest workers, then things seem to trend and go in the right direction. That doesn’t guarantee that we’re going to win X amount of games,” he said. “But the things that they’ve done from a leadership standpoint, since our bowl game last year until today, is as good as I’ve seen.”

Contact reporter Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.