Please notice this one contains the key word “SIGNED” instead of “committed”. It
came as a shock to many that committed means the same thing in portal announcements as in high school recruiting – pretty much nothing until signing day. And with the transfer portal, signing day is any day they choose once their name has been entered into the portal.
However, in this case, the signing appears solid. On3’s Nakos is a dependable source who typically doesn’t jump the gun with announcements like these. It was also confirmed by the Omaha WH’s Evan Bland.
As far as Colandrea himself? Let’s just say if mobile quarterbacks are your cup of tea – and HC Matt Rhule told me they are most certainly his – then Colandrea is the Earl Grey of your scrambling dreams:
And putting UNLV on his back was just another day at the office for Running Rebs’ quarterback as their defense surrendered close to 30 PPG. The 6’0” 205lb junior got it done through the air completing 275-417 passes (65.9%) for 3459 yards in his lone junior season in Vegas (he transferred there after his freshman and sophomore years at Virginia where he started 17 games), tossing 23 TD’s against only 9 picks.
The mobility above isn’t a one-off. He was UNLV’s 2nd leading rusher with a sack-adjusted 834 yards on 101 carries, an 8.3 YPC average with 10 rushing touchdowns. Here’s further video evidence of the possibilities:
But, as evidenced by the near 3500 passing yards, he is more than capable of airing it out as well. Hopefully, we now have the quarterback which will allow Rhule to remove the yoke from Offensive Coordinator Dana Holgorsen’s offense, which appeared to be placed there after the Minnesota 9-sack defeat and tightened further following Dylan Raiola’s injury with the offense then run by true freshman T.J. Lateef, who was largely ineffective in his final three games.
Colandrea let fly around 30 times per game in a relatively balanced Rebel offense. And while there were plenty of highlights to choose from, given the number of yaks in the red zone this season, I very much preferred this:
2026 will be Colandrea’s final season of eligibility, and, given his starting experience from the previous three seasons, he would look to be the early favorite to earn the nod over Lateef, who would appear to benefit from another year of development before having an advantage himself over 2027 incoming freshman Trae Taylor.
The quarterback search is likely not over as a third scholarship quarterback will be needed for depth behind Colandrea and Lateef, whether through the lower end of the portal or an as yet unsigned high school recruit. But for now, locking down a mobile 3-year starter looks to be a winner.
As for his not coming from a P4 school? Keep in mind that Cam Ward came from FCS Incarnate Word and Trinidad Chambliss from D2’s Ferris State.
Go Big Red
