Jackson Arnold to start at QB for UNLV vs Memphis football in season opener

Jackson Arnold, a former Auburn transfer, will be the starting quarterback for UNLV in their football opener against Memphis on August 29th. The game is scheduled for 9 PM CT at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Both UNLV coach Dan Mullen and Memphis coach Charles Huff kept the starting quarterback roles undisclosed at the start of the week.

However, Mullen confirmed that both Arnold and Alex Orji would participate in the game. Neither team has released a depth chart prior to the match. Memphis has yet to officially name a starting quarterback, but they are currently in a competition between West Florida transfer Marcus Stokes and South Carolina transfer Air Noland for the position.

Arnold, a five-star recruit, initially started his college football journey at Oklahoma. He began his collegiate career as a backup to Dillon Gabriel during his freshman year. Arnold then started nine games and achieved a record of 5-4 in 2024. Following his freshman year, he transferred to Auburn, where he played in eight starts, throwing for 1,309 yards and six touchdowns.

UNLV hopes that Arnold can replicate his success from his time at Auburn, a power conference program, at the Group of Six level. This scenario played out successfully for Anthony Colandrea, who transferred from Virginia to UNLV and subsequently won the Mountain West Player of the Year award before moving on to Nebraska.