Meet The UNLV Coaching Staff - Part 2: Inside the Booth: UNLV’s 2025 Football Analysts

Dan Mullen’s first UNLV staff is a blend of proven coordinators, young position coaches, and behind-the-scenes analysts whose fingerprints will be all over the Rebels’ 2025 game plans. While they won’t be on the headset on Saturdays, these analysts carry heavy influence in scouting, breakdowns, and opponent prep.

Today, we look at the three analysts shaping UNLV’s offensive, special teams, and quarterback rooms.

Singler joins UNLV after a stint in the NFL, serving as Assistant Tight Ends Coach for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024, marking the first time someone has held that position in franchise history. In that role, he worked directly with the tight end group, assisted in game-planning, and contributed to special teams coordination.

Before the NFL, Singler spent nearly a decade at Oregon State (2015–2024) as an Offensive Quality Control coach, responsible for opponent scouting reports, managing the offensive scout team, and assisting with game-planning. His first coaching role came in 2014 as a special teams student intern at OSU, where he coordinated scout units, broke down film, and assisted with the wide receivers.

A native of Medford, Oregon, Singler was a two-year letterman at wide receiver for the Beavers (2009–2013) and earned first-team all-state honors at South Medford High School. He graduated from Oregon State in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

At UNLV, Singler returns to his special teams roots, studying coverage lanes, blocking schemes, and return tendencies, which provide Mullen and the special teams coordinator with valuable insight into finding field position advantages every week.

Denney arrives in Las Vegas after building a well-rounded coaching resume across multiple levels of football. He most recently served as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M, where he worked with the Aggies’ offensive line and run-game prep. Before that, Denney coached at the high school level in Texas, serving as both offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Rockwall-Heath High School, one of the state’s most competitive programs.

His background also includes a stint at Southern Arkansas University, where he served as wide receivers coach, developing multiple All-Great American Conference selections.

Known for his attention to detail in film study and opponent breakdowns, Denney will assist UNLV’s offensive staff in advanced scouting, tendency tracking, and situational analysis. While his work will be done off the field, his influence will be felt in the Rebels’ game-week adjustments and script development.

Cotton is one of the youngest members of Mullen’s staff, but he already has meaningful experience in Power Five conferences. He spent over three years with the Utah Football Team in multiple roles, beginning as a student assistant, moving into an offensive quality control internship, and then serving as a graduate assistant with the wide receivers (2024) and tight ends (early 2025).

At Utah, Cotton contributed to the Utes’ preparation for consecutive Rose Bowl appearances, gaining first-hand experience in advanced scouting, practice scripting, and positional development.

Now at UNLV as an assistant quarterbacks analyst, Cotton works directly with the offensive staff on quarterback mechanics breakdowns, coverage identification tendencies, and red-zone decision-making prep. His rise through the ranks reflects both his work ethic and his ability to adapt quickly to new systems, a skill that will be crucial in helping install Mullen’s offense.

Listed officially in the UNLV directory, Lewis supports opponent scouting, coverage assignments, and DB matchup prep. Though lower profile, his work underpins UNLV’s defensive adaptability each week.

While their titles don’t carry the same visibility as coordinators or position coaches, Singler, Denney, and Cotton form the backbone of UNLV’s game-prep engine.

Yes, that Vontaze Burfict. A polarizing figure in the NFL, he joins UNLV’s staff reunited with former DC and role model Paul Guenther, under whom he played in Cincinnati and Las Vegas. Burfict brings a vast reservoir of experience:

Dan Mullen praised the hire, calling Burfict’s energy, mindset, and knowledge “fantastic” for the young players.

These coaches may not talk to the media, but their film-room work is the Rebels’ advantage. Whether it’s third-phase breakdowns or defensive schematics, their prep builds the foundation UNLV needs to perform under pressure.