Dan Mullen breaks down how Alex Orji has progressed since transfer to UNLV from Michigan

The UNLV Rebels are going to have a new look in 2025 with head coach Dan Mullen taking over. Along with that, he brought in a pair of transfer quarterbacks in Alex Orji from Michigan and Anthony Colandrea from Virginia.

Both of those quarterbacks have flashed potential in the past but have looked raw at other times. So, Mullen is working to further develop them for their time at UNLV. As he explained on CFB with DP, they’ve both made progress but much of the focus has been on Orji as they’ve tried to adjust his throwing motion and make him a more capable passer.

“Really good,” Dan Mullen said. “They’re a little bit different styled guys in what they do, which I’m okay with how they are. Alex Orji has done a great job. We’ve worked on his throwing motion of tweaking his throwing motion. The benefit, you could walk down the field and he’s about 6-3 and 1/2, 245 [lbs], I mean, he’s got all of that genetic skill, but we’ve tweaked his throwing motion and really spent a lot of time on learning how to be a pocket passer. One of the harder things to do. How do you sit there and work on those fundamentals?”

Coming out of high school, Alex Orji was a four-star recruit, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was also the 390th-ranked player nationally. Over the years, Orji has been praised for his athleticism, even making Bruce Feldman’s “freaks list,” for his athleticism at the quarterback position.

During his time at Michigan, Alex Orji was typically used as a running threat at quarterback. He was also one of three quarterbacks to start games for the Wolverines in 2024. In that time, Orji played in 11 games, completing 53.2 percent of his passes for 150 yards for three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 269 yards and a touchdown.

Still, Dan Mullen brought more than one quarterback to UNLV. So, while he’s excited about Alex Orji and how he’s developing, the Rebels also have Anthony Colandrea available to them as well.

“Anthony, I remember I was calling one of his games when I was doing ESPN, a Thursday night game and got to watch him play live. He is — in today’s game, he’s one of the ultimate extend plays, quickness, eyes down the field, ridiculous arm talent, can make all the different throws from every different angle. But as a young guy, he played really young. He played as a true freshman at Virginia,” Mullen said.

“So, again, when you get into guys learning the position, it’s getting him to learn it’s okay to check the ball down. They pay guys a lot of money to check the ball down, right? Very rarely are you going to see a quarterback win any type of award without a 70 percent completion percentage. So, every play doesn’t have to have to be a touchdown… Both those guys, I said I want you to use your talent to do spectacular things when the time’s right. When it’s not right, I want you to do the unspectacular things perfectly. We’re spending a lot of time on that, but both of them are picking things up fast, both of them have great leadership capabilities. We have our first practice this Thursday. So, we’ll get them out on the field and see when it starts moving faster how that goes.”

Only one quarterback is going to be able to start on Week 1. As practice gets underway, it’s going to be an interesting decision for Mullen to make.