UNLV Football lands first 2022 recruit, Reed-Francois receives extension

As spring football concludes, Marcus Arroyo and his staff at UNLV have begun their recruiting push for the class of 2022. On Friday, the Rebels landed a commitment from three-star quarterback Jayden Maiava, their first from the class of 2022.

Maiava, a product of Kaimuki High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, stands at 6-foot-4 and 205-pounds, he also had offers from Auburn, Louisville and Tennessee. 247Sports has Maiava as the second ranked quarterback in Hawaii and ranked 25th among pro-style quarterbacks in the class of 2022.

Maiava has played quarterback in Las Vegas before, in 2018 he was a freshman with Sierra Vista High School in Las Vegas. He threw 16 touchdowns in 10 appearances for the Mountain Lions while completing 52.7% of his passes.

247Sports National Analyst Blair Angulo touted Maiava’s physical qualities, like his big arm. He noted that consistency will be the biggest thing Maiava will have to focus on as he transitions to the college game next season.

Maiava spoke with 247Sports and said that the coaching staff was a big factor. That Arroyo and offensive coordinator Glenn Thomas, who both recruited Cameron Friel, another Hawaii quarterback in the class of 2021, kept checking in on him and building the relationship. He also said he believes in what the coaches are building at UNLV.

He also told 247Sports that Arroyo’s track record with quarterbacks was also a factor. “Coach Arroyo he coached Justin Herbert, that was a big eye opener for me for Justin Herbert to win Rookie of the Year. Now I get to talk to a coach like that, it’s a blessing for me. Coach Arroyo, he’s a big guy,” Maiava told 247Sports.

The Rebels are the thick of a quarterback competition that will likely last throughout the summer and right up to the beginning of the 2021 season with Doug Brumfield, Justin Rogers and Friel, as the only three quarterbacks on the roster. The quarterback room is young and inexperienced at this level, so don’t be surprised to see Arroyo and his staff continue to go after quarterbacks until he is fully confident in a starter.

Reed-Francois receives four-year contract extension

UNLV announced Friday morning that they had extended the contract of current Athletic Director Desiree Reed-Francois. The four-year extension runs through June 30, 2026 with an adjusted annual base salary of $420,000.

Reed-Francois joined UNLV in 2017 as the first Hispanic woman and woman of color to be an Athletic Director at the FBS level. In her tenure, UNLV has brought home conference championships in women’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, women’s tennis, men’s and women’s swimming, women’s indoor track & field, and women’s volleyball.

“I am very appreciative of President Whitfield’s faith and support in me and in the direction of our department,” Reed-Francois said in a statement. “I would also like to thank our coaches and staff. Without their hard work, talent and expertise, our success wouldn’t be possible. It has been a fast four years and while there is more work ahead of us, we are very optimistic for the future. We want the transformation of UNLV Athletics to be sustaining and long-term and we are headed in that direction.”

Reed-Francois has been responsible for seven head coach hiring's, most notably Marcus Arroyo in football and two men’s basketball hiring's, T.J. Otzelberger and Kevin Kruger. Arroyo went winless in a shortened, COVID-impacted season, Otzelberger went 29-30 in just two seasons before leaving for Iowa State and Kruger is a first time head coach.

However, she hired Lindy La Rocque for women’s basketball and the Lady Rebels finished second in the conference after being picked to finish ninth. As well as Dawn Sullivan for women’s volleyball and Kristie Fox for softball. In volleyball, the Rebels went 12-0 in the regular season and made the NCAA Tournament. And for softball, the Rebels have gone 113-50 in four seasons under Fox.

UNLV has produced results in the Olympic sports, but the revenue generating sports have not had as much success. Arroyo and his staff appear to have the right mindset and are working on creating momentum to turn UNLV football around. And Kruger has put together a solid staff and brought in transfers who could make an immediate impact, there is still a long way to go before we can officially say if those were good hires and how successful her tenure will be at UNLV. The Offensive gives a breakdown of of Reed-Francois’ contract.