A third football program is about to make Jackson Arnold its starting quarterback tonight. UNLV coach Dan Mullen announced his QB1 decision on his radio show this past week, just days after snapping at the media for asking who'd start for the Rebels at Allegiant Stadium for a Week 0 clash with Memphis.
In his UNLV debut, Arnold will be Mullen's QB1. This is Arnold's fourth year in college after spending two years in Oklahoma, one floundering as QB1 and being yanked midway through the season before being reinserted and going 5-4, and then one on the Plains getting yanked as Auburn's starter midway through the 2025 season and losing the job permanently to Ashton Daniels.
Arnold has not hammered down the starting role for the long haul just yet. Former Michigan quarterback Alex Orji can take the job from Arnold with a strong Week 0 if he gets the chance at any point. Mullen wouldn't claim Arnold as his QB1 just days before the opener.
"I don't know what the first play of the game [is], don't know what the second play of the [game is]. [People are] so caught up in who starts right [now]. [Whoever] doesn't start [is] not a starter," Mullen told reporters on Monday.
Was Mullen just building up the hype to announce the decision on his radio show when he snapped at the media, or did the decision become clearer to him as the week went by? That much is unclear. Arnold will be getting the shot either way.
Jackson Arnold can salvage a career that started with considerable hype
Arnold was 247Sports' No. 10-ranked player in the 2023 recruiting class. By any stretch of the imagination, Arnold was supposed to be the Sooners' savior under center. As a two-year starter at DFW-area powerhouse Denton Guyer High School, Arnold had 7,397 passing yards, 67 touchdown passes, and just eight interceptions.
Arnold has kept interceptions fairly low, throwing just five during his seasons as a starter. Still, 63.6% of his passing attempts were under 10 air yards under Hugh Freeze. Arnold was 7/30 on passes 20 yards or more downfield during the 2024 season in Norman.
He was not the prince that was promised to OU or AU.
In the Mountain West, one decimated by conference realignment/the Pac-12, to boot, Arnold's competition level will drop off a cliff. Or, I guess, a mountain.
There is a chance for him to redeem his career and make something of this season. The 5-for-5 eligibility rules could mean Arnold has two solid years left at the Group of Six level. He could set the tone for a two-year redemption arc by locking down the starting role with Memphis in town. That's a high-profile enough opponent to parlay a win over into momentum. The American is far and away the best Group of Six conference, but the Mountain West can make a statement through UNLV tonight.
Arnold's debut as the Rebels' QB1 will air on FOX at 10 pm ET/9 pm CT.
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