Nevada Football Preview 2026: Can the Wolf Pack Finally Catch a Break?

Story by

Story by
Nevada Football Preview 2026: Can the Wolf Pack Finally Catch a Break?

Pete Fiutak

Tue, Jun 16, 2026 ·

8 min read

About Our Ads

It's been a tough time to be a Nevada football fan.

It's a proud program with plenty of success over close to 40 years at the FBS level - spread out since 1946.

Everything started to rock under Jay Norvell, with 30 wins over a four-year stretch.

He left for Colorado State in 2022 - that really, really didn't go well - and Nevada went into the tank with two, two-win seasons followed by two three-win campaigns.

Jeff Choate has had a rough time over his first two seasons, but four teams Nevada lost to last year are off to the Pac-12, the Mountain West is easier, and this needs to be when the wins start to return.

Nevada Will Improve in New Mountain West

Aug 30, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Nevada Wolf Pack cheerleaders perform during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Nevada 46-9.

© Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Nevada Quick Hits

Head Coach:Jeff Choate (3rd year at Nevada, 6-19; 7th year overall, 34-41)
Best Case / Worst Case:Be in the mix for the Mountain West title/A fifth straight season with fewer than four wins
Key Player:Marshaun Brown, WR, Jr.
2025 Record:3-9
Biggest Question:Can the Wolf Pack show more offensive explosion?

Nevada Key 2025 Stats

First Quarter Scoring: Opponents 72, Nevada 29
Rushing TDs: Opponents 24, Nevada 9
Penalties: Opponents 84 for 709 yards, Nevada 63 for 541 yards

Offense

The offense had a rough time.

It only scored 211 points, there wasn't any downfield passing game, and overall, it averaged just 302 yards and 17.6 points per game.

Enter Brett Bartolone, a former Nevada offensive coordinator who worked under Deion Sanders at Colorado as a position coach over the last few years. It's his job to get this going.

What's Working

The idea is to get more out of the quarterback situation by turning it loose.Carter Jones took his lumps last year as a freshman, throwing for over 1,000 yards with six touchdowns and eight picks, but he's getting pushed by UCLA transfer Luke Duncan, an even bigger passer who'll get every shot.

Don't be afraid to keep running.The Wolf Pack ran the ball 40 times or more in three games. In those three games, they have their best three rushing days of the year, going over 210 yards in each. Those were the only three wins.

There are good options in the backfield, with quick runner Herschel Turner back after averaging five yards per carry, but return man Ky Woods and sophomore Dominic Kelley will form a decent rotation.

The receiving corps lost just about everyone,but it should see an upgrade starting Donnie Cheers, a big deep threat from SE Missouri State who caught 44 passes last season. Marshaun Brown has been around Nevada for a while, but he's played a complementary role.

Gary Givens is another good-sized target with experience - he's coming in from Northern Illinois - and Damien Morgan is a dangerous all-around target, making 53 grabs last season for Idaho State.

What Needs Work

The offensive line has to step up fast.The front five wasn't all that bad, considering how lousy the overall production was. It was solid in pass protection, and it had its moments for the ground game.

It gets back starting tackles Jack Foster and Zach Conchnauer, and there's good size inside, helped by the addition of center Jacob Norcross and guard Ethan Newman from Memphis. It all has to jell fast.

Seriously, the downfield passing game.Nevada was just trying to move the chains last season, but the quarterbacks have to start connecting deep. Only eight teams averaged fewer than 5.8 yards per throw, but the real problem was ...

The red zone offense.Nevada moved the ball to inside the 20, but it didn't do much once it got there. The attack was one of the worst in the nation in red zone conversions, scoring just 72% of the time.

Player to Watch

DJ Asiasi, TE RFr.
Jett Carpenter led the team with 35 catches last year, but now the midrange tight end will be working at Texas Tech.

With Bartolone taking over, the style of passing game will change, but the 6-2, 248-pound Asiasi will be a key part of the attack.

Defense

The defense under defensive coordinator Kane Ioane has done what it could without a lot of help from the other side.

It needs to generate more pressure, and it has to be more consistent, but there's more returning talent than there is on the other side. The Wolf Pack have some playmakers.

What's Working

Nevada has one of the Mountain West's best players up front.Dylan LaBarbera was a terror in the backfield with 87 tackles, a c-leading 17 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks.

He didn't take off, he's still at the hybrid Jack position, and he should be in for another massive season.

The linebacking corps has the potential to be a strength.It wasn't bad throughout last season, but Nakian Jackson is gone to James Madison, and second-leading tackler Stone Combs is gone.

However, former JUCO transfer EJ Smith is back after looking great last year before getting hurt.

Jeremy Naborne-Owens comes over from Colorado State, bringing 230-pound thump - he'll be one of the team's top run stoppers.

There's power in the middle of the line.The Wolf Pack have the bodies to hold up in the rotation, starting with 329-pound Logologo Va'a at one tackle spot, 318-pound James Gillespie about to get more work, and quick 275ish pound options working into the fold.

What Needs Work

The secondary isn't totally starting over, but it's close.Bishop Turner made 20 tackles from one safety spot, and the corners should be okay after getting into the mix last year, but the transfers have to step up. On the plus side, the upside for this group is big.

Who will step up on the other side of LaBarbera?Everyone will be loading up to stop LaBarbera from living in the backfield - new Ole Miss Rebel Jonathan Maldonado took care of that last year with five sacks. It'll take a mix of players to handle Nevada's X position on the edge.

Force more fumbles.There were times when the defense wasn't too bad at coming up with interceptions, but it went four games without a takeaway, and four more with just one.

There were just four recovered fumbles on the year, and two came in the loss to New Mexico.

Player to Watch

Aiden Walker, CB Soph.
He's only 5-10 and 180 pounds, but he's a physical corner who should be one of the team's better playmakers now that the gig is all his.

The combination of him, Arkansas transfer Selman Bridges, and Joshua Scott from Eastern Michigan should be okay.

Keys to the Season

Get more pop out of the downfield passing game.
Stop with all the turnovers (27 last season).
Figure out how to score whenever there's a chance.

Player Who Needs To Shine

Carter Jones, QB Soph.
Or Luke Duncan. Jones completed 64% of his throws last season, but didn't take any big chances down the field and didn't run like Chubba Purdy did.

This year, things should slow down a bit. He has decent options to throw to, and no matter what, the team needs more out of the position.

Biggest Concern

The offense has to start scoring.The Wolf Pack scored 55 points in a blowout win over San Jose State. Take that out of the mix, and the team averaged just 14 points per game. To take this further, Nevada has only scored more than 22 points once in the last 18 games.

Biggest Game

Air Force, September 26
It's the opener in the new Mountain West world, and it could be a make-or-break moment right out of the gate.

There's just one other home game between September 12th and November 7th, with long trips to UTEP and North Dakota State to follow.

By the way, Nevada hasn't beaten Air Force since 2018.

Transfer Portal

In terms of bulk talent coming in, the portal was a net positive for the Wolf Pack.

There weren't too many devastating losses, and on the flip side, Choate and his staff worked hard to get Group of Six options looking for a place to stand out.

The secondary and receiving corps got the most help.

Best Signing

Jaylen Webb, S (Boise State)He didn't do much in his one year at Boise State, but he was a destructive force at Kilgore JC. With his size and experience, he should be among the team's leading tacklers.

Biggest Loss

Jonathan Maldonado, EDGE (Ole Miss)The hybrid playmaker on the outside made 38 tackles with five sacks and a pick. He's a true tweener who can do just about everything needed, and now he'll be doing it for Ole Miss.

Other Names to Know

Ethan Newman, OG (Memphis)
Jaceon Doss, WR (Towson)
Jeremy Naborne-Owens, EDGE (Jacksonville State)

CFN Season Prediction

There's a nice mix of things happening.

Choate and his staff are going into their third season - albeit in different configurations.

The transfer portal helped, there's a decent base of players, and losing so many good programs to the Mountain West helps.

CFN Prediction: 5-7

After failing to win more than three games in any of the last four seasons, and with just eight wins over FBS teams during that span, just coming close to going to a bowl would matter.

On the downside, Western Kentucky and Montana State aren't better than 50/50 games to start the season, and going to Middle Tennessee isn't a sure thing.

The Wolf Pack have to win two of the first three, and there can't be any misfires in winnable Mountain West games against San Jose State, UTEP, and Northern Illinois.

It won't be a championship season, but there will be a step forward.

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: