When UNLV hired Dan Mullen in December to replace Barry Odom as head coach of the Rebels football program, it was a massive get for the university.
The Rebels were coming off their best season in program history, going 11-3 in 2024 and being a different result in the Mountain West championship game against Boise State away from the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. The university clearly saw Mullen as the coach to lead them beyond those lofty heights, offering him a five-year contract to coach the Rebels. With his success at the top levels of college football, Mullen is certainly worthy of the hefty price tag attached to him.
There is now just one problem UNLV faces: they committed money that they do not currently have.
UNLV can only cover two years of Mullen’s contract with their current funding.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, UNLV athletics director Erick Harper admitted to the school’s Board of Regents that the department is operating with $26 to $31 million in debt, leading to their current situation.
“We have the funds to pay the coach over the next two years,” Harper said. “We have been working with our donors to assist with philanthropic dollars. We have one that has already paid their commitment, and that money is in an unrestricted line and that will be utilized in the future to help with the salaries.”
Harper is clearly hoping that the continued success of the football team leads to increased revenue for the department.
UNLV is also in position to get a sizable amount of money due to conference realignment. With five schools leaving the Mountain West for the Pac-12, the conference is due for somewhere between $19 and $24.8 million in exit fees. UNLV will likely receive a part of that money, giving the athletics department more to work with.
UNLV is hoping Dan Mullen helps them continue their success in college football, and now it turns out the health of their entire athletics department depends on it.
How Ricky White, Jackson Woodard fared at the 2025 NFL Combine
