Mountaintop View 5-15-23. Quarterbacks, Hawaii AD, Rebel recruiting, Pitino raise, MWC champions

It’s Monday, and we are back at it. The NFL Draft is over but the NBA Draft isn’t too far away. And, the spring sports are wrapping up before the summer lull. Regardless, the content keeps going. Check out our original coverage and what we can find from the world wide web below.

Mountain West QBs are in the spotlight.

With the departures of Carson Strong, Haaziq Daniels, and Jake Haener over the past two seasons, the Mountain West is suddenly short on proven premium talent at the quarterback position. That isn’t to say the cupboards are barren, but there is no sure thing among any of the 12 teams. The likely top 3 are Taylen Green (raw), Chevan Cordeiro (inconsistent), and Doug Brumfield (injuries), but all enter the year with at least one question mark. There are some possibilities among other teams, like Clay Millen or Jalen Mayden, but the MWC needs to have a few QBs emerge to keep the conference relevant.

Hawaii almost has a new AD.

Things have not been easy on the islands, with financial issues and bad coaching hires and attempting to build a new stadium. But late last week, a new AD hire appears to be imminent. It has been a long national search, President David Lassner has recommended Craig Angelos to be the next athletic director at Hawaii. There will be a vote on Thursday of this week and assuming that gets approved, Angelos will start Monday, June 5, with a lot of work to undertake.

The Rebels land a big basketball commit.

Dedan Thomas Jr. is the top recruit in the state of Nevada and one of the top high school players in the country. And this weekend, he passed up some big offers to stay home and play for UNLV, with the thought that he would reclassify and enroll in the fall. Thomas Jr. is a Runnin’ Revel legacy, with his dad playing for the team back in the Jerry Tarkanian days. This is a huge boost for the program in need of a jolt of talent.

Pitino pay raise.

Mountain West Champions

On the horizon:

• Later today: A new MWC Recruiting Roundup with the latest news, offers, and commitments.
• Coming Tuesday: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Wide Receiver Preview
• Coming Tuesday: Reacts: 2023 Improved Teams, Baseball talk
• Coming Wednesday: Peak Perspective: Will things be different for UNLV this time around?