The message hasn’t changed from Dan Mullen. The goal hasn’t been altered.
Ever since he was introduced as UNLV football coach in December 2024, he has preached an identical forecast: That the Rebels are about competing for and winning championships.
It’s the same now as Mullen enters his second season running the program.
And it should be.
Even more so, really.
UNLV has proven its worth, winning 30 games and advancing to (and losing) three straight Mountain West title matchups since 2023.
They shouldn’t aspire for anything less, except the part about not being able to finish once the ultimate conference prize is at stake. That part has eluded them.
You figure UNLV has just as good or better an opportunity to again play for a league championship this year. A second season in a coach’s tenure is usually more stable than the first. Everyone knows what to expect.
Training camp
“I’m just more comfortable now because I understand it, I’ve been through it,” Mullen said. “I’m a little more comfortable with the league. I didn’t know much about it — I hadn’t been to Laramie in 20-something years. I’m more comfortable with the routine and how things play out. What our home game days are like. Our practices. How we function on a daily basis. It’s just more comfortable in Year 2 than in Year 1.”
He has in a short time built a culture of expectations. From his staff, his players, the city. Barry Odom began this UNLV turnaround before moving onto Purdue following two seasons, and Mullen last year continued such a pursuit of greatness.
The Rebels would finish 10-4 under him. They were better at season’s end than its beginning, despite the fact UNLV played its worst game in a 17-10 loss to Ohio in the Frisco Bowl.
UNLV opens training camp on Wednesday and does so among the favorites — don’t bet against the likes of New Mexico just yet — to win the new-look Mountain West.
It does so far ahead of where things were when Mullen welcomed his first camp.
“I think last year’s team was always learning what the standard and expectations were,” Mullen said. “When you come back in Year 2, even though you’re adding a bunch of new faces, there’s a great foundation already in the locker room for what they are for everybody. It accelerates things from Day 1 that this is the standard.
“I love the (expectation) of competing for a championship. I embrace it. The players will expect the same thing this year. It’s great for the team and even better for the city. A championship team, right?”
He has recruited players who believe in development, signed those out of high school and the transfer portal who want to be coached. That’s his pitch. That’s what his program is defined by. That’s a major part of what he sells.
And when you bring those types of guys onto a team — where there is a sense of confidence about them — it helps create more than just a winning attitude.
Mullen says he wants players who show up to the building with a smile on their face, no matter what awaits them.
“It’s not easy,” he said. “You get there at 6:30 a.m. for a (strength coach) who’s going to make you squat until you puke. Not the most exciting thing in the world.
“But when you have that energy and excitement and want to be pushed to be the best and surround yourself with those kinds of people, great things happen. That’s how you build a culture.”
Unfinished business. Mullen and his players have talked about it often, along with ways the Rebels might change such a script this season. It won’t be easy.
Close games?
UNLV has a sneaky-tough schedule, despite being among non-Power Four favorites to reach the College Football Playoff. You look at last season’s results — six games, including five wins, were decided by a touchdown or less — and realize how different things could have been.
This season has the same feel in terms of how many close games UNLV might find itself in.
“We have to stick together as a team and take care of business,” Mullen said. “We can’t control what everybody else does, but when you’re playing in a league this tough, you better bring your A game every single week or you’re not going to win.
“One of the hardest things to do is come out and perform week-in-and-week out but that’s what we have to do.”
And yet the message, the goal, the expectation, never changes. Even more so in Year 2.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.
