‘He’s a missile’: New faces bring high hopes for improved UNLV defense

Star UNLV linebacker Jackson Woodard is getting accustomed to the new phenomenon in his peripheral view: senior Texas transfer defensive back Jalen Catalon.

“He’s a missile,” Woodard said after the Rebels’ first training camp practice Friday. “It was so fun today. He’s on my side of the ball, I just sit there, and whatever the scheme is, I’m just seeing him fly by and go make the play.”

Catalon, a 2020 All-Southeastern Conference safety who recorded 17 tackles in eight games for the Longhorns last season, is no stranger to Woodard. The two played at Arkansas together for three seasons, two of which were led by UNLV second-year coach Barry Odom, then the Razorbacks’ defensive coordinator.

In his first season at UNLV, Odom guided the Rebels to nine wins before the year culminated in three straight defeats, including a 49-36 loss to Kansas in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. The defense struggled in that stretch, giving up an average of 43 points.

On Friday, Odom cited a lack of depth in the secondary as an issue that forced the team to “adjust dramatically” toward the end of the season. UNLV shouldn’t have that problem this season, as Odom said the new crop of safeties and cornerbacks has the potential to be “one of the best” (defensive back groups) he’s ever seen up close.

New look, attitude

The Rebels have 20 defensive backs on their training camp roster, including five-star cornerback Tony Grimes, a former North Carolina and Texas A&M player who landed in Las Vegas this offseason after he previously committed to transfer to Michigan State.

The team also returns senior cornerback Cameron Oliver, who led the Mountain West with five interceptions last season.

Grimes stands out to senior transfer quarterback Matthew Sluka, who noted that “the defense is good from the D-line all the way to the secondary.”

Woodard, the leading voice on his side of the ball, said the defense’s approach was the main issue to close the campaign.

“We’ve got to stay with championship habits. Our habits define us,” he said. “Late in the season, I think we lost a little bit of our habits. And that led to some of the explosive plays you saw that we gave up. And that’s why I’m really emphasizing finishing this year. This team’s ready, we’re gonna step up.”

Although Catalon wasn’t with the team then, he sees the squad has a new tone.

“You can reflect back on before, but at the end of the day, those are the past mistakes and this is a new team,” he said Saturday. “We’re looking to show everybody that this year is not going to be like it was last year with the defense, that we’re going to start strong and finish strong.”

Competition

In Woodard’s words, the extent of UNLV’s defensive talent is “too many to name.” For the cornerbacks especially, that’s going to result in some tense competition.

The “next man up” system is in full effect, as Arkansas defensive back transfer LaDarrius Bishop is no longer with the team. Cornerbacks coach Akeem Davis said Saturday that Bishop’s exit opened a spot for Central Michigan transfer cornerback La’Vario Wiley to join the Rebels about a week ago.

Davis listed Oliver and Grimes as standouts in the cornerback room, but he made it clear that consistency will determine the starting roles.

“You can play 99 great snaps at corner. But if (on) that 100th snap, you got beat deep for a touchdown and we lost the game, everything that you did really doesn’t matter,” he said. “Because you weren’t clutch enough to make the play when it mattered most for the team. And it’s all about the team.”

Catalon isn’t likely to be pigeonholed in a specific position, but he noted that despite the competition, the players are rooting for one another.

“Tony Grimes made a great play today,”he said. “But everybody’s happy for each other, and everybody’s just showing emotion towards each other.”

Still, Davis understands the limited spots won’t make things easy for players.

“Only two corners can play at a time. And that’s difficult because, if you’re a really good football player, and you’re an alpha male, you want to be on the field,” he said.”I have to do a good job of making sure all of those guys have a role and take full ownership. Because if we do that and we embrace it, I think championships and all of that good stuff will be a by-product.”

Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.