While there is no preseason poll for the Mountain West this season, there are still indications that exist suggesting the UNLV Rebels are in prime position to push themselves into championship contention once again.
On Wednesday, prior to the start of the Mountain West Media Days, the conference released the preseason All-Conference Team, and UNLV lead the entire conference with five players on the team.
The players are lead by senior running back Jai'Den Thomas, who was part of the All-Mountain West team last year. He is joined by offensive lineman Austin Boyd , wide receiver Taeshaun Lyons , defensive lineman Lucas Conti and safety Jake Pope .
Thomas is coming off an impressive junior season in 2025 with a career-high 1,036 rushing yards and tying his career-best mark with 12 touchdowns. His seven yards per carry made him among the most efficient running backs in the nation, ranking seventh in the entire nation in the category.
Sticking with UNLV since his commitment in 2023, Boyd has been a staple of the Rebels offensive line, starting all 14 games in each of his three seasons. The senior anchors an offensive line that finished first in the Mountain West last season with 446.4 yards of total offense per game.
After seeing limited action at Washington and Utah, Lyons got his first extended look last season with UNLV as a redshirt sophomore. Lyons is the leading receiver returning to the Rebels in 2026 after recording 16 receptions for 241 yards and three touchdowns last season, so he will be counted on to develop chemistry with new quarterback Jackson Arnold.
Conti hopes to build off a promising redshirt sophomore season, where he got extended playing time and recorded 22 tackles, four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 12 games. The defensive tackle will anchor a defensive line full of youth, as edge rusher Landen Thomas and defensive tackle Mohamed Altayeb are the only defensive linemen who are juniors or older.
Another player who took advantage of the transfer portal to find an ideal situation, Pope took his experience at top-flight programs at Alabama and Georgia and elevated UNLV's secondary. Serving as a safety who patrolled the field for the Rebels, Pope ranked second on the team with 81 tackles and third with five pass breakups. Now with a season under his belt, Pope is going to be counted on as a leader for the defense in defensive coordinator Paul Guenther's second season at UNLV.
UNLV is still expected to be at or near the top of the food chain in Mountain West football, and leading the charge in terms of the All-Conference team is a subtle reflection of that perception.
