UNLV’s spring practice just turned lucky for their freshman QB. After a 10-4 season, Dan Mullen’s team is all set to make an impact this year, and they are putting in all their efforts to find their QB1. With experienced players like Jackson Arnold, Alex Orji, and Cameron Friel, the room looks already stacked, but one freshman QB is stealing the spotlight, drawing comparisons to Tom Brady.

In UNLV’s experienced QB room, Derek Garcia is the one grabbing Dan Mullen’s attention. He is starting to stand out during spring practice with his performance and skills.

“You watch him, I don’t know, he’s like an anomaly,” UNLV HC Dan Mullen said to the media after spring practice. “Like you go over to individual drill, right? And I mean, like, he might complete, like, 30% of his passes on air, right? When they’re like, there’s no defense, and then all of a sudden, you throw a defense, blitzing all around him, and he looks like Tom Brady out here, you know what I mean? That’s been kind of wild.”

What makes this comparison so surprising is Mullen’s history. He built his reputation developing dual-threat stars like Tim Tebow and Dak Prescott. Praising a true freshman specifically for his poise and pocket presence under pressure shows just how advanced Garcia’s field vision is right out of school.

That praise from Mullen didn’t come out of the blue. At 6-3 and 190 pounds, he has an ideal frame for a pocket passer. On top of that, scouts also praise his ability to move the ball quickly down the field. Garcia handles all types of plays comfortably. He can throw from the shotgun, roll to his right or left, and make off-balance throws look effortless. He consistently hits all three levels of the field and puts excellent touch on deep passes. Those skills might have reminded Mullen of the NFL’s legendary QB and exceptional passer, Tom Brady.

Derek Garcia is a quarterback from Ventura High School in California. He first planned to go to San Diego State, but in May, he changed his mind and chose UNLV instead. One big reason he picked UNLV was head coach Dan Mullen. Mullen is known for helping quarterbacks get much better. He has developed great players like Alex Smith, Tim Tebow, who won the Heisman Trophy, and Dak Prescott, who became a star in the NFL.

Now, Mullen is making sure he gives the same learning to Garcia. But even with all these developments, the starting QB role seems to be a tough task for Garcia. The team already has experienced players like Arnold, Orji, and Friel, who have all started playing college football and know the real-time dynamics of the game.

Even Mullen is evaluating all the options closely to make a final decision. Beating out portal veterans like Arnold and Orji won’t be easy. However, if Garcia consistently processes blitzes and reads defenses like a veteran, the Brady-like composure might force Mullen’s hand and get him onto the field much sooner than anyone in Vegas expected.

“There’s a lot of evaluation going on during these spring practices as we look to identify our starting quarterback for the upcoming season,” Mullen said.

Putting entire faith in a freshman might be a bit risky, but teams like Nebraska and Michigan have already done it with Bryce Underwood and Dylan Raiola. With spring practice still ongoing, all eyes in Vegas are now on whether this freshman can do what Mullen’s praise suggests. Along with the Gracia team, the team also received another major piece of news.

Dan Mullen’s team gets major backing

UNLV got a massive boost with linebacker Justin Flowe, who made his way back to the team after entering the transfer portal. This is his seventh year at college because of COVID and injuries, and Dan Mullen and UNLV are planning to use him as a key player on defense.

In his first season with UNLV, Justin Flowe played on special teams and as a backup on defense. He made 13 tackles and had one pass deflection. His efforts helped the Rebels finish the season with a 10-4 record. Even in a limited role, he showed some of the talent that made him a five-star recruit in high school.

Injuries have been a big challenge for Flowe throughout his career. During his first two seasons at Oregon, foot and knee problems kept him from playing regularly. But even then, he showed his dominance in 2022; he recorded 35 tackles and added 2.5 tackles for loss.

Flowe then transferred to Arizona, where he had one of the remarkable seasons of his career. He played 13 games, recording 44 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, and 2 pass deflections. This shows that even if healthy, Flowe can be an exceptional player on the field. Now, with so many developments, it will be interesting to see how things work out for Mullen in the 2026 season.