College sports aren’t changing.
They already changed.
The transfer portal is free agency.
NIL is a salary cap battle.
Roster building isn’t seasonal — it’s 24/7, 365.
And schools that understand this?
They’re running their programs like professional franchises.
General Managers. NIL negotiators. Portal specialists. Player retention experts.
Programs still pretending it’s 2010?
They’re losing players, losing fans, and losing their future.
If UNLV is serious about its future — if UNLV truly wants to become a Power 4 program — it must hire full-time General Managers for basketball and football immediately.
Not to survive the Mountain West.
To escape it.
Not to keep up with G5 schools.
To build the infrastructure that belongs in the Big 12, the ACC, the Big Ten.
The time for Mountain West thinking is dead.
Power 4 ambition demands Power 4 action.
The Blueprint Is Already Everywhere
Look around:
Duke hired Nike’s Rachel Baker as GM — controlling NIL, roster building, and player retention.
Syracuse hired NBA scout Alex Kline — managing portal and roster strategy.
Utah hired former Atlanta Hawks GM Wes Wilcox to professionalize basketball.
Davidson brought in Steph Curry as Assistant GM.
Sacramento State hired Shaquille O’Neal to oversee NIL and player branding.
St. Bonaventure added ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski to run recruiting, NIL and fundraising.
It’s not just Power programs — it’s smart mid-majors too.
Because they know: the next round of realignment is coming.
Final Four teams?
3 of 4 this year (Duke, Florida, Houston) had formal GMs or equivalent front offices in place.
Programs running like businesses are the ones being invited to the next table.
What a Real GM Actually Brings
This isn’t just adding a title.
A real General Manager transforms a program:
Manages rosters proactively — not reactively after players leave.
Builds NIL packages and fundraising pipelines tied to real roster needs.
Targets and lands portal players early — before the desperation bidding starts.
Protects and retains key players like a real front office retains their stars.
Frees up coaches to actually coach — not moonlight as CEOs, agents, and NIL negotiators.
Rachel Baker said it best about Duke:
“Coaches are here to teach basketball. They can’t also manage contracts, fundraising, and portal strategy anymore.”
Without a GM?
UNLV’s programs are left vulnerable every single offseason.
Why UNLV Needs It Right Now
The basketball roster for 2025–26 is almost complete.
The football team is riding real momentum.
But both sit on a fragile foundation without real structure behind them.
Think about it:
If UNLV had a professionalized NIL and retention strategy last year?
Maybe Dedan Thomas Jr. never leaves.
Maybe the football program doesn’t suffer public NIL embarrassment with the Matt Sluka debacle.
Maybe both sports walk into this summer with elite stability, not scrambling chaos.
Hiring GMs now doesn’t fix the past.
It future-proofs the climb to Power 4 status.
Because the next realignment moves are coming.
And the programs that look professional, stable, and scalable are the ones that will be invited.
Football Needs It Just As Badly
Football drives realignment.
And right now, even in a growing Mountain West, UNLV is playing with a G5 organizational model.
That can’t continue.
Football GM responsibilities at real programs include:
Managing scholarship and NIL budget caps across all 85 players.
Targeting portal additions with 2- and 3-year succession plans — not one-year bandaids.
Aligning donors, collectives, and coaches behind strategic recruiting plans.
Retaining top talent before portal poachers arrive.
Dan Mullen came to win.
He didn’t come to beg boosters or chase portal chaos every December.
If UNLV wants to keep building — and truly push toward the Playoff era — it must empower Mullen with a real front office.
Or risk watching it all stall out again.
What UNLV Should Be Looking For
This isn’t about hiring a PR name.
UNLV must find:
Basketball and Football operations experts — people who’ve built rosters before.
NIL experts who know how to structure smart, compliant deals and maximize donor ROI.
Portal relationship builders — insiders who know the real recruiting battlegrounds.
Strategic fundraisers — people who can move NIL dollars with actual roster goals.
Player and parent trust builders — the link between the locker room and the leadership.
The goal isn’t just survival.
It’s outworking and outbuilding everyone between Vegas and the Big 12.
Vegas Deserves More Than G5 Thinking
UNLV sits on a gold mine:
Top-40 media market.
New stadiums. New facilities.
Final Fours, Super Bowls, NBA Summer League exposure.
Natural NIL opportunities.
A brand every kid still recognizes when you give them a reason.
There is no reason UNLV should accept Mountain West ceilings.
This city produces stars.
It deserves a program that acts like it.
The Mountain West is not the ceiling.
It’s the platform for something bigger.
But only if UNLV acts like it now.
Final Word: It’s About the Future of UNLV, Not Just a Roster
This isn’t just about keeping a few players.
It’s about whether UNLV is building the kind of program that survives the next 5 years — or gets left behind forever.
You want the Big 12 to call one day?
You want ESPN and Fox bidding on your games?
You want Vegas to matter on Saturdays and March again?
Then act like it.
Hire a General Manager for Basketball.
Hire a General Manager for Football.
Build a professional operation NOW.
Own the new era — don’t beg for scraps from it later.
The evidence is everywhere.
The window is now.
Vegas doesn’t wait.
Why should UNLV?
Subscribe to The Scarlet Standard for real coverage of UNLV’s fight to reclaim its power — not Mountain West excuses.