As the first game day draws closer, the work gets more challenging. UNLV football training camp is in full swing, with drills getting more physical with every rep. The team is preparing for a more difficult schedule than the rest of the conference, with their season opener against the University of Houston.
Last season, running back Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas had 108 carries, 503 yards and 12 touchdowns. He currently holds the record for most touchdowns by a freshman, inspiring newcomer Greg Burrell to break that record.
“I’m chasing him for sure,” said Burrell, “I’m going for that touchdown record. That’s one thing he and I talked about. I’m coming for him for sure.”
Burrell, a 6’1” freshman from Las Vegas, played at Desert Pines High School before joining the Rebels. Named to the All-Southern Nevada Second Team in 2022 and an All-Southern Nevada honorable mention in 2023, Burrell ran 960 yards for 10 touchdowns as a junior and caught 20 passes for 189 yards while recording two touchdowns as a senior.
When Burrell enrolled at UNLV for the 2024 spring semester, his dedication stood out to coach Cornell Ford.
“He’s just a playmaker,” said Coach Ford, “he’s such a young pup but has a hunger to get out of there; he’s so talented. He’s got so much growth, and the ceiling is so high. He just needs to get bigger, faster, and stronger.”
Burrell and Thomas bonded when Burrell enrolled during the spring. Thomas took him under his wing and showed him the ways and workings of UNLV football.
“He’s like a big brother to me,” said Burrell, “a little big brother. We have a lot of fun together; he’s like my brother from another mother.”
The Rebels’ focus continues to be on supporting each other physically and mentally to integrate a successful offense.
This ability to collaborate and leverage each other’s strengths and weaknesses helps them adapt to Coach Marion’s playbook and maintain a resilient approach on the field.
“For me personally, I feel like I could do what he does. ‘Relating to Burrell, ’ He could do what I do, and I feel like we just balance each other out perfectly,” Thomas said. “He’s a little guy, and I’m a big guy. He’s like my left hand, and I’m his right hand.”
“For me, and for everybody, we can work on getting our pads low, not taking bad hits, just work together and just making sure our fundamentals are down for the football game,” Burrell said. “The end goal for us, just championship, really, that’s the end goal for us.”
“Just win, win, win. That’s when everybody’s all in,” Thomas said. “We came up short last year of a championship, and that’s our goal: to make it to the championship and hopefully the national playoff schedule. All in to win.”
With the Rebels halfway through fall training camp. They continue preparing for their first regular season game against the University of Houston Cougars on Aug 31 and officially embark on a journey to start the regular season with a bang, similar to last season’s very first play, where Vincent Davis scored UNLV’s first regular season points with a 69-yard touchdown.
“If we can open a season with something big like that, I’ll take it,” Ford said. “I always talk to our guys about it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish, and we won a lot of games in the fourth quarter this past season.”
As the season inches closer, UNLV football aims to go all in and win.
