After transferring to UNLV from the University of Michigan ahead of the 2025 season, quarterback Alex Orji appeared primed to become a key piece of coach Dan Mullen’s offense.
Instead, his debut season in Las Vegas lasted just over a game.
Orji suffered a Grade 3 UCL sprain and a hamstring torn completely from the bone during the first quarter of the Rebels’ Week 2 matchup against UCLA, ending his season after a collision on a designed quarterback run near the sideline.
Nearly a year later, Orji is healthy again and back in the middle of the UNLV quarterback competition, battling Auburn transfer Jackson Arnold while looking to make the impact many around the program envisioned when he first arrived in Las Vegas.
“I’m feeling great,” Orji said. “I think it was a phenomenal opportunity for me to go through adversity. There have been plenty of guys who have been through injuries and sat out seasons or have not been able to play, so it was hard for me to relate to them without being through it.
“For me to be able to go through it and be on the sideline and know what it takes to be a good teammate without being a good player was a great opportunity. Now I can see both sides.”
The injury may have halted Orji’s first season at UNLV, but it did little to change the impression he made on the coaching staff.
“Alex is an unbelievable person and an unbelievable leader,” offensive coordinator Corey Dennis said. “Obviously he had a terrible injury last year, but the guy has come back.
“He comes to work every single day, constantly putting in work, and with his spirit, just to have him back out on the field is somebody you definitely want to have in your foxhole.”
Dennis, who joined Mullen’s staff ahead of the 2025 season after spending nine years within the Ohio State program, said Orji’s second year in the offense has been evident throughout fall camp.
“It’s one of those things where you have free access to do a lot of things here,” Dennis said. “The more comfortable you are, the more you can give those guys the opportunity to make the checks and flip the protections and change the plays from run to pass or pass to run.
“The more reps that you have, the more comfortable you are going to be.”
That added comfort has come while competing with Arnold for the starting quarterback job, one of the biggest position battles entering the Rebels’ season opener. against Memphis,
Despite knowing Orji for only a short time, Arnold said his teammate’s leadership style immediately stood out.
“Alex is a whole different person,” Arnold said. “He is very regimented. He wants things done a certain way, and if you don’t do it that specific way, he is going to voice his opinion.
“It might seem harsh to some people, but I understand where he is coming from and the good intentions that he means.”
Orji arrived at UNLV after spending three seasons at Michigan, where he served as the backup to NFL quarterback J.J. McCarthy during the Wolverines’ national championship run in 2023 before making three starts during the 2024 season.
Throughout the lengthy rehabilitation process, Orji credited the people around him for helping him return with confidence.
“I want to give a shoutout to Rafal (Ciepiela), Fred (Donnell Jr.), coach Mullen and Corey Dennis for just keeping me where I needed to be,” Orji said. “Throughout the whole summer, coach (Tanner) Maher, (Thomas) Bacchia) and (Malakai) Fifita) made sure I was ready to play and gave me the confidence to come back out here and be non-hesitant and not think about all of it.”
Whether Orji ultimately wins the starting job or not, the senior has already overcome the biggest challenge of his career at UNLV.
After spending nearly a year watching from the sideline, he has another opportunity to show why the Rebels brought him to Las Vegas in the first place when they open the season against Memphis on Aug. 29 at Allegiant Stadium.
