Three weeks ago, I wrote that UNLV was right to walk away from the Pac-12. It wasn’t fear or failure; it was leverage. That they understood the structure collapsing around them and bet on the one thing they could still control: themselves.
Today, UNLV athletic director Erick Harper made it clear.
He didn’t say it with headlines or chest-pounding. He said it the way administrators do, in carefully worded phrases that still convey everything when you’re listening closely.
“We have to be the best possible UNLV that we can be,” Harper told the Review-Journal. “We looked at everything we did back when all the realignment was going on, and we still feel like we made the best decision for UNLV and the future of UNLV.”
Translation?
The Pac-12 came calling. UNLV said no.
The Price of a Power Move
Let’s not romanticize this. UNLV didn’t turn down the Pac-12 out of pride. They turned it down because the Mountain West boxed them in with an $18 million exit fee, a signed-away tournament future, and a backroom legal war still playing out over $145 million in poaching penalties.
But they turned it into a strategy.
Harper confirmed that UNLV opted into the House v. NCAA settlement, putting them on track to pay athletes directly from revenue starting this month. When asked if a dollar figure had been finalized, he was direct:
“The budget will determine what the ceiling is. We have not arrived at that final figure at this point. We’re working through logistics on our campus on how we do that.”
That’s not dodging. That’s management. And it confirms what was already obvious: UNLV is one of only a handful of Group of Five programs ready for this.
Only a few weeks ago, Bill Paulos, the man behind UNLV’s collective — spelled it out:
“If we want to get coaches of Mullen’s and Pastner’s stature… we had to assure them we could raise NIL money so they could compete.”
This wasn’t a reaction. It was a plan.
And that plan is working.
The Collective Leverage
Harper played coy on sport-by-sport distribution but acknowledged the reality athletic departments now face:
“Nobody is going to be 100 percent happy all the time… You have to do what’s best for your institution relative to your student-athletes.”
What UNLV is doing, frankly, is more than most.
The school already has a professional, compliant NIL infrastructure, including Friends of UNILV, chaired by Paulos, which is operated by Blueprint Sports and distributes $3 million for football and $1.5 million for men’s basketball, with plans to triple both in 2025.
They're not adjusting to this new world. They're leading it.
As I wrote in The Collective Gamble:
“This isn’t Mountain West thinking anymore.
This is Power Conference behavior with the payroll, the infrastructure, and the blueprint to back it up.”
Mullen, Momentum, and the Mountain West Ceiling
Harper also revealed that football season ticket sales are up 32%, climbing from 6,515 to 8,579. That’s not a bump. That’s proof of concept.
UNLV’s investment is producing momentum, and Harper knows what it means:
“We will work to have a very competitive schedule that puts us in a position to be in the College Football Playoff conversation. That’s important to us.”
Let that sink in.
UNLV, now boxed into a conference losing half its top brands next summer, is building for the CFP this season, with Dan Mullen, a national coach commanding a $3.5 million salary, at the helm.
This isn’t catch-up. This is acceleration.
While other MWC schools are clinging to status or still fundraising to compete in NIL, UNLV is selling vision. The season opener was moved to Week Zero due to the Canelo-Crawford title fight at Allegiant — a disruption most schools would panic over. Harper shrugged:
“We’re lining up to win, and where it lays, it lays.”
That mindset is telling.
The Other Thing Harper Didn’t Say
When asked how competitive the Mountain West would be in 2026 after losing Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State, and Utah State, Harper downplayed the moment:
“It might be too early to tell... there’s going to be strong competition.”
That’s code. Because he knows what’s coming. And so do we.
The Mountain West has added UTEP, NIU, Grand Canyon, UC Davis, and Hawai‘i (as a full member). None of them replaces Boise. None are projected to draw 9.7 wins on ESPN FPI. None have the market or facilities.
Only UNLV remains nationally relevant. Only UNLV is playoff-ready. Only UNLV can lead a conference trying to survive its exodus.
Final Word: The Confirmation Was Subtle, But It Was Real
Erick Harper didn’t try to rewrite the realignment story. He didn’t need to. He confirmed, in administrative language, what The Scarlet Standard has been saying for weeks:
That UNLV considered the Pac-12 and said no.
That they opted into revenue sharing, and are ready to pay.
That their collective isn’t just functioning, it’s scaling.
That Dan Mullen isn’t just a name; he’s a launch point.
As I wrote on June 18:
“The Pac-12 isn’t elite. But it’s alive. The Mountain West? It’s breathing… barely.”
That’s still true.But now it’s clearer than ever who’s keeping it alive.
UNLV didn’t flinch. They didn’t panic. They didn’t buy the glitter of a recycled Pac-12 badge.
They bet on infrastructure. On vision. On revenue. On themselves.
And today, they got confirmation — in broad daylight — that they were right.
Michael Cooper covers UNLV athletics, realignment strategy, and college sports finance for The Scarlet Standard. Subscribe for free to get every update as the 2025 season and beyond unfold in real time.