Jackson Arnold rewarded for best performance of young UNLV career
Derek Hegna
Host · Writer
The first few weeks of Jackson Arnold as the quarterback of the UNLV Rebels has been tempestuous, to say the least.
Through three games and a 1-2 record, neither Arnold nor UNLV had the start they envisioned. Still, the Mountain West is still very much up for grabs, but the Rebels needed to turn thing around quickly to make good on expectations, and that meant Arnold needing to up his game a couple notches.
Against Akron, Arnold had the breakout game he was waiting for, and he was acknowledged accordingly for his efforts.
On Tuesday, Arnold was announced as an honorable mention for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award’s National Player of the Week.
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose award recognizes the best offensive players in the country that fall in at least one of two categories: they must have played for and graduated from a Texas high school, or currently play for a Division One program based in the state.
Arnold, a Denton, Texas native, played his high school football at Guyer High School in his hometown, winning several awards before signing with Oklahoma as a five-star prospect.
It has been a winding road ever since, but Arnold seemed to find a foothold on Saturday against Akron.
Arnold was one of the catalysts of a 38-10 rout of the Zips, throwing for 290 yards and scoring three touchdowns and no turnovers. Two touchdowns went to Jai’Den Thomas, while the other was a 59-yard strike to Taz Reddicks that allowed UNLV to start pulling away.
It was a performance that both Arnold and UNLV needed to have, especially with the most challenging opponent of their non-conference schedule coming up next.
On Saturday, Arnold and the Rebels return to the friendly confines of Allegiant Stadium for the first time in a month to face the California Golden Bears, lead by quarterback and 2028 first-round prospect Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele.
If the Rebels want to pull off the upset, they will need Arnold to deal once again, so the quarterback will need to prepare for the biggest test of his UNLV career yet.
