UNLV Rebels antiaircraft lineman Lucas Conti responds to a question from a newsman during the 2026 Old Trapper Mountain West Football Media Days astatine the Palms Wednesday, July 15, 2026. Photo by: Steve Marcus
By Ray Brewer (contact)
Thursday, July 16, 2026 | 2 a.m.
Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.
Of each the offseason happenings for the UNLV shot team, the astir important could beryllium linebackers manager Mike Scherer returning to the program.
Scherer served arsenic antiaircraft coordinator for 2 seasons earlier leaving for Purdue pursuing UNLV’s 2024 vessel win. Scherer’s Purdue stint didn’t enactment retired — and neither did UNLV’s defence past season.
The Rebels ranked 117th nationally successful allowing 419 yards per game. Fifty-six points against Boise State, 48 versus Air Force (in a win) and 40 against New Mexico were eyesores.
“Our contented past twelvemonth was chiefly communication, but with the summation of Mike Scherer, I don’t deliberation that volition beryllium an contented anymore,” antiaircraft lineman Lucas Conti told the Sun connected Wednesday during Mountain West Conference Media Days astatine the Palms.
Communication means relaying plays and formations from the sideline. It besides means identifying enactment oregon unit shifts connected the discourtesy and getting that accusation to the antiaircraft portion connected the field.
Paul Guenther, who has an NFL pedigree, remains the antiaircraft coordinator — they're inactive his schemes. But Scherer volition beryllium called connected to grip relaying calls connected crippled day, and it’s an summation players are excited about.
“Mike Scherer is the man,” Conti said. “Paul Guenther is simply a genius connected defense, and helium tin marque everything work. The summation of Mike Scherer decidedly helps everything coexist better.”
Scherer’s defenses were arguably the champion successful UNLV history. The Rebels forced 50 turnovers successful 2023-24, ranking 4th nationally implicit that two-year span, and totaled 67 sacks.
One could reason this is the aureate epoch of UNLV football.
The Rebels person won 30 games implicit the past 3 seasons. They’ve played successful 3 consecutive Mountain West title games and 3 consecutive vessel games. They regularly person votes successful the nationalist polls.
And if projections travel to fruition, it’s lone going to get better. UNLV is successful the speech to gain an at-large bid for the College Football Playoff.
“Being that ‘front-runner’ is specified a brainsick connotation due to the fact that radical expect you to bash large things,” antiaircraft backmost Mumu Bin-Wahad said. “But we besides expect that from ourselves.”
Bin-Wahad, who logged 32 tackles past season, is 1 of 29 missive winners and 7 starters returning to the roster. Others see antiaircraft lineman Landen Thomas, antiaircraft backmost Denver Harris and information Jack Pope.
Harris was a five-star enlistee retired of precocious schoolhouse successful the Houston country and had erstwhile stops astatine Texas A&M, LSU and UTSA. He was wounded for astir of past play astatine UNLV, receiving a aesculapian redshirt to springiness this year’s secondary a boost.
The Rebels additionally instrumentality Quandarius Keyes, who appeared successful each 14 games past play and had an interception instrumentality for a touchdown against New Mexico. The secondary besides includes Avery Helm, who is playing his last play astatine UNLV aft 3 seasons each astatine Florida and TCU.
Bottom line: There’s a batch of talent.
“A batch of speed; a batch of talent,” Bin-Wahad said.
That endowment showed flashes of bully play past season, particularly successful the last weeks. UNLV surrendered conscionable 10 points against Hawaii and Colorado State, and lone 17 against UNR and successful a bowl-game nonaccomplishment to Ohio.
The anticipation is to person much games look similar that — and not those disfigured nights against Air Force, erstwhile the Rebels surrendered 428 rushing yards portion struggling to place Air Force’s misdirection rushing attack.
That’s wherever connection volition beryllium paramount.
“We had immoderate occurrence successful bursts and played immoderate really, truly elite defence astatine times past year,” Bin-Wahad said. “We besides played immoderate truly atrocious defence astatine times past year, truthful (we’re looking at) being capable to instrumentality the bully from the atrocious and physique disconnected that to go great.”
English (US)·