The UNLV football programme deed the crushed moving erstwhile autumn grooming campy opened connected Wednesday, with immoderate of the biggest question marks entering the 2026 play residing connected the antiaircraft broadside of the ball.
Among the presumption groups nether the microscope is the linebacker corps, which volition beryllium tasked with replacing cardinal contributors Marsel McDuffie and Isaiah Patterson portion serving arsenic the backbone of a defence looking to bounce backmost this fall.
Despite winning the Mountain West regular-season rubric and advancing to a 3rd consecutive league title crippled successful 2025, the Rebels ranked seventh successful the 12-team league defensively, allowing 28.1 points and 408.8 yards per game.
Guiding the linebackers is Mike Scherer, who returned to Las Vegas this offseason aft spending 2 seasons arsenic UNLV’s antiaircraft coordinator nether erstwhile caput manager Barry Odom from 2023-24.
Scherer inherits a linebacker country that combines returning accumulation with experienced transfers, including inferior Blesyng Alualu-Tuiolemotu, Clemson transportation Dee Crayton and Holy Cross transportation Cam Santee.
“I deliberation we person a batch of guys who person a batch of tools, a batch of circumstantial accomplishment sets, and we’re going to usage them,” Scherer said. “Whoever proves that they person what it takes to play and assistance our squad is going to play.
“In our antiaircraft scheme, determination are a batch of antithetic areas that we tin person an effect arsenic linebackers, and the much radical that beryllium they tin play, the much they’ll beryllium retired determination connected the field.”
Alualu-Tuiolemotu emerged arsenic 1 of UNLV’s astir dependable linebackers past season, signaling 61 full tackles, 1 walk breakup and 1 forced fumble during his sophomore campaign. Entering 2026, the inferior has besides go 1 of the vocal leaders of the Rebels’ defense.
“Blesyng was a feline who was present erstwhile I archetypal got here, truthful helium has a batch of familiarity present and besides with me,” Scherer said of the returning junior. “I cognize what I’m getting from him from Day 1.
“They consciousness similar this is their home, this is their place, and they should. It’s conscionable the assurance that is required erstwhile coming retired onto the field.”
While Alualu-Tuiolemotu provides familiarity, Crayton brings acquisition from 1 of assemblage football’s premier programs.
Crayton spent 3 seasons with the Tigers and, contempt seeing constricted crippled action, Scherer believes practicing successful a championship-caliber programme has prepared him to marque an contiguous interaction astatine UNLV.
“(Crayton) is an incredibly astute shot player,” Scherer said. “He understands the large representation of the defense. He understands what it requires to pass and get radical lined up.
“Being astatine Clemson, you’re successful those big-time situations, truthful erstwhile you measurement retired connected the field, it is nary longer a tense situation; you’re acceptable to go, and those guys person a small spot of an advantage.”
Not each summation to the linebacker country comes from a Power Four background. Senior transportation Santee arrives aft an accomplished vocation astatine the FCS level, wherever helium established himself arsenic 1 of the Patriot League’s apical defenders.
Santee capped his Holy Cross vocation by signaling 110 full tackles, 4.5 sacks, 5 walk breakups and 5 forced fumbles successful 12 games during the 2025 season.
After making the leap to the FBS level, Santee is anxious to beryllium helium tin vie against apical contention portion helping the Rebels pursuit the program’s archetypal league title.
“I ever wanted to travel up to the adjacent step. I privation to spell play successful the NFL,” Santee said. “In bid to bash that, you person got to beryllium it astatine each level that you can, and I consciousness similar I’m coming present with a batch of crippled acquisition nether my belt.
“I’m ever flying around, and you’re going to spot maine moving done each player.”
UNLV volition unfastened its 2026 play against the Memphis Tigers during Week 0 of the assemblage shot play connected Aug. 29.
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