UNLV's Matt Byrnes lines up during the Rebels' crippled astatine Colorado State connected Nov. 8, 2025, successful Fort Collins, Colo. Byrnes, a block-first choky extremity who played backmost successful precocious school, has go a cardinal cog successful UNLV's crushed game. Photo by: Lucas Peltier / UNLV Athletics
By Ray Brewer (contact)
Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026 | 2 a.m.
UNLV football’s Matt Byrnes played backmost and fullback for his Chicago precocious school.
But helium was undersized — conscionable 165 pounds his elder play — and, helium admits, inactive needed to turn into his frame.
He had fewer options to play successful college, settling for Iowa Western Community College wherever helium played conscionable 8 games successful the shortened pandemic play of 2021.
“I was benignant of a quarterback, benignant of a skinny choky end, fullback. So I didn’t truly get that galore offers, that galore looks,” helium said.
Now he’s a cardinal cog successful the Rebels’ offense: a 6-foot-6, 245-pound choky extremity who could beryllium the unsung leader of the attack.
UNLV should beryllium capable to tally the shot with Jai’Den Thomas, the program’s eighth all-time starring rusher, and dual-threat quarterbacks Jackson Arnold and Alex Orji.
That’s wherever Byrnes earns his keep. He’s a block-first choky extremity who takes pridefulness successful playing similar an other lineman, helping the crushed crippled hum.
“Matt Byrnes has been steady,” said Adrian Mayes, UNLV’s choky ends manager and tally crippled coordinator.
It doesn’t wounded that Byrnes has an intimate cognition of the discourtesy — he’s a erstwhile quarterback, aft all. He was besides an Academic All-Mountain West honoree past season, and earlier arriving astatine UNLV, was a two-time all-conference world enactment astatine Houston.
“I person a backmost caput successful trying to cognize everything (about the offense),” helium said. “So if they privation to enactment america anyplace (on the field), that’s however manager Mayes teaches america to larn the offense.”
He aboriginal added, “I pridefulness myself successful academics due to the fact that however good you bash successful the schoolroom is however good you bash connected the field.”
Byrnes played successful each 14 games past play for UNLV, catching 2 passes for 24 yards. It mirrors his output astatine Houston, wherever helium tallied 10 receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown successful 25 vocation games.
What’s not disposable successful the container people is his interaction arsenic a blocker and his contributions connected peculiar teams. He embraces the small details that assistance the squad succeed.
“I’m trying to bash the champion I tin to beryllium an other (offensive) lineman retired there,” helium said.
UNLV is looking to get its choky ends much progressive successful the passing crippled this season. In 2025, Nick Elksnis was the team’s apical receiving choky extremity with conscionable 12 receptions.
That’s wherever Keyan Burnett, a elder transportation from Arizona who has played successful 34 vocation games, could capable the void. He battled a hamstring wounded past season, playing conscionable 4 games earlier opting to redshirt to sphere his last play of eligibility — and past transferring to UNLV.
He’s had a bully camp, showcasing his accomplishment set, Mayes said.
“Keyan learned the discourtesy truly well,” Mayes said.
Burnett is showing nary signs of the wounded that constricted him past season, the manager said. “Our spot programme has been unbelievable for him. He acts similar a pro. He does his hydration. He does stretching earlier practice. He takes attraction of his assemblage aft practice. As you get older, you commencement to recognize to instrumentality attraction of your body.”
The choky extremity portion has extent with Liberty High School postgraduate Jae Beasley and Velltray Jefferson, some of whom were portion of the regular rotation past season. Both besides spot important reps connected peculiar teams.
That’s portion of the team-first mentality the programme is gathering successful Dan Mullen’s 2nd season. And erstwhile it comes to the choky extremity group, Mayes’ portion surely takes pridefulness successful blocking.
“Those guys person to privation to block, and past it’s my occupation to thatch them the method and those sorts of things to springiness them an vantage successful the tally game,” helium said.
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