UNLV’s Marcus Arroyo says he hasn’t decided on starting QB

With the season opener a few days away, it’s hard to imagine that first-year UNLV coach Marcus Arroyo hasn’t made a decision on his starting quarterback.

But Arroyo hasn’t disclosed that information, and it’s unlikely that will change before the Rebels take the field Saturday against San Diego State in Carson, California.

The depth chart doesn’t provide much clarity. It has three players listed — Kenyon Oblad, Max Gilliam and Justin Rogers, in that order — but the word “or” is written between them.

“We’ll still go through that every day this week. We’re going to find every opportunity in the four weeks to have them touch a football to get these guys in a position to see what we can really evaluate,” Arroyo said Monday in his weekly news conference. “We have not named a starting quarterback.”

No matter who gets the nod for the opener, it’s likely the competition will continue throughout the season. No UNLV quarterback has started every game since Jon Denton in 1996, and it’s possible Arroyo could play more than one in each game.

Here’s a quick rundown of each quarterback, listed in order of their predicted standing:

Kenyon Oblad: The 6-foot-3-inch, 190-pound sophomore from Liberty High has the advantage of being the incumbent. He played in 11 games last season, starting nine, and showed a strong arm on his way to 2,081 yards and 18 touchdowns with nine interceptions. Oblad was inconsistent with his accuracy, completing 54.2 percent, and didn’t show much mobility, rushing for minus-43 yards.

Justin Rogers: The 6-4, 240-pound sophomore is the highest-rated transfer the Rebels have ever had, according to 247Sports. He came to UNLV from Texas Christian after two seasons. He led one drive for the Horned Frogs in the Cheez-It Bowl against California in 2018 when he completed his only pass attempt but did not play last season. Rogers, a four-star recruit ranked No. 58 in the ESPN 300, suffered a serious knee injury in his senior year of high school and a drop-foot condition during his rehab. But he told 247Sports in December that he “could play today.” If he’s 100 percent, he probably has the highest upside of the group and could receive playing time even if he isn’t named the starter because of his ability to run and give defenses a different look.

Max Gilliam: The 6-3, 200-pound senior played in 11 games and started seven for the Rebels in 2018, hitting on 55.3 percent of his passes for 1,394 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Gilliam led the Rebels to a 27-24 upset against the Aztecs, their only win at San Diego State since 2000, but didn’t receive a snap last season after falling behind Oblad on the depth chart.

Doug Brumfeld: The 6-5, 215-pound left-handed true freshman was originally recruited by then-UNLV coach Tony Sanchez and decided to remain committed after Arroyo was hired. He was a three-star recruit who did more damage as a passer than a runner in high school.

Marckell Grayson: The 6-2, 200-pound redshirt junior from Desert Pines High has yet to take a snap at UNLV. He faces an uphill battle to change that this season.

Contact Jason Orts at jorts@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2936. Follow @SportsWithOrts on Twitter.