UNLV football opens training camp with familiar faces and high playoff hopes
“Last year was a new team, so new plays and everyone was getting adjusted,” said Jai’Den Thomas, the Rebels’ senior running back. “This year everyone knows the plays. Now the older folks are helping out the younger guys" ...
Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.
There is a different feel at Rebel Park for the start of UNLV football camp.
Yes, expectations are high, with some predicting the Rebels will reach the College Football Playoff.
And yes, it seems hotter than usual — so much so that Thursday’s practice started 30 minutes earlier than scheduled to avoid the worst of the heat.
But the biggest difference? Familiarity.
Camp last season featured players getting to know each other and what was expected of them in coach Dan Mullen’s system. This year, that first-day-of-school feel is gone.
“There is a big comfort level,” said Mullen, the second-year head coach. “(It’s) year 2 for some of the guys in the system.”
He later continued, “There’s just more familiarity with what’s going on, of what we’re doing, more familiarity with the players, with our routine, with how we’re running the program.”
Jake Pope, a preseason all-Mountain West safety, echoed the sentiment, saying the team feels closer than it did at the same point last season. The Rebels won 10 games in 2025 but fell short in the Mountain West title game.
“Last year was a new team, so new plays and everyone was getting adjusted,” said Jai’Den Thomas, the Rebels’ senior running back. “This year, everyone knows the plays. Now, the older folks are helping out the younger guys.”
The Rebels won’t have much time to ease into the season.
They open Aug. 29 at home against Memphis in a nationally televised game on Fox with potential playoff-qualifying implications. Then it’s three consecutive road games.
Each contest is expected to be close, putting extra emphasis on training camp. There are 17 more practices left, including three inside the Raiders’ training facility in Henderson, before the season opener.
A mock game is set for Aug. 20, then it’s all-in on the preparation for Memphis, another team with playoff hopes.
“It’s huge. You are talking about a national game,” Mullen said. “We have the opportunity for the city to have a national college football game with their home team. Try to pack Allegiant for a home field advantage would be a big deal.”
The expectations of competing for a spot in the 12-team playoff are something the team isn’t shying away from. Players and staff are embracing the challenge.
“No one’s going to have higher expectations than me ever for our team, I can promise you that,” Mullen said.
The game against Memphis is considered Week 0 on the college football calendar when there are only a handful of games. That means only a handful of teams have official practices in July.
And if the season pans out the way Mullen thinks it will, UNLV could still be practicing in January.