UNLV coaching search continues on eve of transfer portal opening

When UNLV athletic director Erick Harper fired football coach Marcus Arroyo in November of 2022, it took him eight days to land Barry Odom as a replacement.

When Odom bolted to take the Purdue job in December of 2024, Harper needed only four days to announce the hiring of Dan Mullen to lead the program.

Sunday marks eight days since Harper dumped basketball head coach Kevin Kruger; if the calendar ticks over to Monday without a hire, it will officially become the longest coaching search of Harper’s tenure.

Is that important? Possibly. Harper has run a tight-lipped search, with few if any names emerging as candidates, so it’s difficult to tell how the process has unfolded. He could be deciding among a small pool of finalists and ready to make an announcement any day now. Conversely, the realities of the college basketball landscape and UNLV’s spot in the pecking order may be forcing Harper to wait for the dust to settle with other coaching openings before sifting through the remaining available options.

The length of the search is not the only reason Monday is an important date. The larger concern is the recruiting timeline, which is set to shift into overdrive when the transfer portal officially opens on March 24. That will begin a 30-day window where schools are allowed to contact veterans in the portal, pitching them on more shots, more lucrative NIL money and greener grass in general.

For a program that is likely to be in rebuilding mode, it would help UNLV to have a coach in place when the roster-construction portion of the offseason begins.

Five UNLV players have already announced their intention to enter the portal: starters D.J. Thomas, Jaden Henley and Rob Whaley, reserve Isaiah Cottrell and redshirt freshman James Evans. Senior Jailen Bedford is also expected to seek another year of eligibility and enter the portal.

If the next Scarlet and Gray coach wants to have any chance of keeping them around, he’ll need to get started on re-recruiting them before other schools swoop in. If they all leave (plus the team’s two graduating seniors), UNLV could have eight scholarship spots to fill for 2025-26, and that number might end up being conservative.

For Harper, making the right hire is 100% more important than making a fast hire. But for the sake of the program, it wouldn’t hurt to do both.

UNLV players in the transfer portal:

D.J. Thomas, sophomore

Point guard: 15.6 points, 4.7 assists, 41.3 FG%

Thomas is obviously the biggest domino. If a new coach can keep him committed, it’s possible to envision building around him quickly and making a push for the NCAA Tournament in 2025-26. If he leaves, however, a total roster teardown will likely ensue. Thomas did retweet a story about former assistant Carlin Hartman’s candidacy, saying “Let’s goooo coach!” Hartman recruited Thomas to Florida and clearly made an impression. Consider that an endorsement from the face of the program.

Potential suitors: Florida, Houston, UCLA, San Diego State

Jaden Henley, junior

Wing: 12.5 points, 1.8 assists, 35.1 3FG%

Henley really raised his NIL potential down the stretch of the season, taking over at point guard after Thomas got hurt and proving himself to be a talented scorer and playmaker. His length on the perimeter makes it easy to envision him locking down the wing for a West Coast program such as San Diego State.

Potential suitors: UCLA, UNR, San Diego State

Rob Whaley, junior

Forward: 2 games, 5.0 points, 2.5 reboundsWhaley entered 2024-25 as the second-best player on the team and appeared set for an all-conference campaign. Instead, fitness issues and a subsequent back injury kept him sidelined for all but two games. The talent is there, and Whaley could have as many as three years of eligibility remaining (depending on how the NCAA settles on juco athletes); if a program believes it can get him back into shape, he can be a productive frontcourt piece on a good team.

Potential suitors: Utah, Utah State, Boise State

Isaiah Cottrell, junior

Center: 1.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, 9.0 minutes

Every team needs size, and at 6-foot-11, Cottrell can provide that. He’s also a good locker-room presence capable of knocking down a 3-pointer if pressed into action. A lower-level program could offer him a larger role in his senior season.

Potential suitors: Utah Tech, North Texas, Portland State

James Evans, freshman

Wing: Redshirt

Academic issues forced Evans to redshirt this season, and it will probably prove to be beneficial to his career in the long run. The 6-foot-6 wing flashed serious scoring potential in practice, and he has above-the-rim athleticism. With four years of eligibility remaining, he will be coveted by mid-major programs and likely some power conferences, too.

Potential suitors: Utah State, Washington, New Mexico

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.