Earlier this week, I was doing a radio hit with a Boise-based station breaking down the Nevada football team’s post-spring camp standing when I was asked what the team’s strength is. It was a tough question because there’s no obvious answer. The Wolf Pack returns just four starters from last year’s 3-10 team and lost a bevy of talent to the transfer portal, including the team’s best offensive player (QB Brendon Lewis to Memphis) and top defensive player (CB Michael Coats Jr. to West Virginia).
That doesn’t mean this year’s team is completely lacking in talent, but there are more question marks than proven commodities entering the 2025 campaign, which will be Jeff Choate’s second with the Wolf Pack. As such, here is our confidence rating in each Nevada position entering the season. Each entry includes a rundown of the players at that position (based on Nevada’s online roster and transfer-portal adds) and a confidence-level rating from 0 (least confident) to 10 (most confident).
Quarterbacks
Players: Chubba Purdy/AJ Bianco/Carter Jones/Anthony Wolter
Confident rating: 5 of 10 — There’s no sure thing here, but Lewis had two touchdowns and six interceptions in 12 games the year before Choate and his staff were hired. That staff turned Lewis into one of the Mountain West’s top quarterbacks (3,065 total yards, 24 total touchdowns, seven interceptions) while increasing his completion percentage from 55.5 to 67.6. It would not be a shock if Nevada was able to get similar production out of Purdy, who has a high ceiling but hasn’t stayed healthy in his five college seasons with stints at Florida State and Nebraska. Bianco is an experienced backup and Jones an intriguing true freshman. Having only three scholarship quarterbacks is a little unusual, but there’s talent here.
Running backs
Players: Herschel Turner/Caleb Ramseur/Ky Woods/Ashton Hayes/Carter Jackson/Luke McEndoo (FB)
Confident rating: 7 of 10 — Nevada lost its top-four rushers from last season if you include Lewis with Ramseur’s 110 yards the most of any returning player. That’s not ideal, but I’m high on Turner, who I think could become Nevada’s first 1,000-yard back since James Butler in 2016. As a freshman at Utah State last season, Turner rushed for 405 yards and 5.1 yards per carry with four touchdowns. He’s got a nice speed-power combination. Ramseur got some playing time last season and Woods has a nice burst. Hayes, a speed back with all-purpose skills, moves back to running back after being a reserve wideout last year. Jackson is a true freshman option. Jim Mastro returning as running backs coach adds a point or two to the score.
Wide receivers
Players: Marcus Bellon/Marshaun Brown/Nate Burleson II/Jordan Brown/Dakota Thomas/Charles Brown/Marquis Ashley/Kola Babalola/Nathaneal Floyd/Daijon Calimon/Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio/Gerick Robinson/Trace Estes
Confident rating: 5 of 10 — Jaden Smith (graduation) and Cortez Braham (transfer portal) were Nevada’s top wideouts last year but aren’t on the 2025 roster. This position does have one returning starter in Bellon, who was a slot guy last season but could be moved around more this year. He caught 39 passes for 522 yards a season ago, scoring four times. The Wolf Pack is leaning on third-year players Brown and Burleson II to become starting-level options in 2025, although transfers Jordan Brown (Texas Tech/Kansas) and Thomas (Western Kentucky/Southern Miss) have FBS experience as does Charles Brown (Montana State/Texas State/Nevada). There’s young potential here but not much in the way of sure things.
Tight ends
Players: Jace Henry/Jett Carpenter/Jayden O’Rourke/Carter Eck
Confident rating: 6 of 10 — Henry could be one of the MW’s top tight ends but is coming off foot surgery that cost him all but four games last season. The 6-foot-4, 269-pounder is a big plus in the run game and caught a pair of touchdowns in four games in 2024. Losing Andrew Savaiinaea to the transfer portal thinned the depth at this position, but the Wolf Pack likes the addition of Carpenter, an Eastern Washington transfer who spent five seasons at the FCS level where he played in 23 games. He only caught 13 passes for 74 yards and two touchdowns at EWU, so he’s a blocking tight end. There’s not much upside from a pass-catching standpoint, but the position should provide a boost in the run game. Depth is the main concern.
Offensive line
Players: Andrew Madrigal/Josh Grabowski/Jack Foster/Hadine Diaby/Henry Sellards/Zachary Cochnauer/Trenton Scott/Dylan Lopez/John Bolles/Snoop Leota-Amaama/Joey Wright/RJ Esmon/Jakobus Seth/Ethan Lowell/Tyler Miller/Colin Banning
Confident rating: 6 of 10 — Madrigal is a four-year starter at center and Grabowski started the back-half of last season. Gone is LT Isaiah World, a big losses considering he’s a potential first-round draft pick (and was the No. 2-rated transfer prospect this offseason, per On3.com; he went to Oregon). The Wolf Pack leaned heavily on high-rep FCS players out of the portal in Foster (Idaho), Diaby (Tennessee State) and Cochnauer (Central Arkansas) all in the mix for potential starting spots. I like those adds. Nevada needs those guys to produce in 2025 to be an above-average line after making progress there last season. Sellards is a youngster to watch for. Lopez and Bolles having some experience. Line coach Brian Armstrong does a good job.
Defensive line
Players (EDGE): Dylan Labarbera/Jonathan Maldonado/Kameron Brown/Myles Williams/Chris Smalley/Sam Cook/Chris Champion/Keegan Perea/Nehemiah Burleson
Players (interior): Thomas Witte/Nelson Ropati/Logologo Va’a/Tanner Vaughan/Bryce Echols/Zaiden Wallace/Johnathan Correa/David Paine Jr./Andoni Fesenmaier
Confident rating: 5 of 10 — This is essentially two positions, and I’d give the edge rushers a four and the interior a six. I believe the interior of the line could be better year over year with Witte the defense’s only returning starter and a known quantity as a good player. Ropati showed some positive flashes last year and Va’a (UTEP) and Echols (Arizona) bring size. Va’a’s strength is a big plus. Vaughan is a versatile player, too. The edge is a bigger question mark after Nevada had just 14 sacks in 13 games last season. Labarbera gets the most out of his ability and could be an All-MW player after showing well late last year. Maldonado has untapped potential. Williams is a Cal transfer. Brown is a true freshman who could play a lot in 2025.
Linebackers
Players: Stone Combs/Nahji Logan/Nakian Jackson/Austin Harnetiaux/E.J. Smith/Jack MacKinnon
Confident rating: 5 of 10 — Nevada lost two stalwarts at this position in the offseason in Drue Watts (Memphis) and Tongiaki Mateialona (graduation), so this will be a new-look group. Combs is the Wolf Pack’s top returning tackler with 58 stops last season and 77 in his career. Logan has 128 career tackles between his time at UMass and Indiana. Jackson was a starter at Sac State last season, recording 77 tackles. Harnetiaux, formerly a walk-on at Washington, got his share of snaps at Nevada last season. Smith was a junior-college standout. MacKinnon was a walk-on at Michigan who could play more on the line for Nevada. There are solid options here, but will the Wolf Pack get some havoc-play star-power from the group?
Defensive backs
Players (cornerbacks): AJ Odums/Edward Rhambo/Hayden McDonald/Cooper Wilson/Zavien Abercrombie/Tajean Stallworth/Justin Wyatt Jr
Players (safeties): Murvin Kenion III/DJ Warnell Jr./Bishop Turner/Kasen Kinchen/Bryson Snelling/Jackson Barton
Confident rating: 6 of 10 — Nevada had a completely unknown group of defensive backs last season, and that unit emerged as a solid group. The same will be expected this year as there’s a complete rebuild here with heavy numbers in transfer additions. At cornerback, Odums (UTEP), Rhambo (Bowling Green), McDonald (Columbia), Wilson (Nebraska) and Abercrombie (Weber State) are first-year Wolf Pack players. The top three on that list are solid with McDonald an FCS All-American and Odums and Rhambo having plenty of FBS experience. At safety, Kenion III is a Sac State transfer who has been productive. Warnell Jr. has played at UCLA, Arizona, Indiana and North Texas. And Turner is a returning player getting high praise. There’s talent to work with, and the secondary staff did a good job in 2024.
Special teams
Players: Keaton Emmett (K)/Bailey Ettridge (P)/Brad Ling (K/P)/Marcus Bellon (PR)/Marquis Ashley (KR)/Ky Woods (KR)/Cian Stack (LS)
Confident rating: 3 of 10 — The Wolf Pack’s special teams ranked 129th out of 134 FBS programs last season, per ESPN’s Football Power Index, so this unit has a lot to prove. Gone are the team’s starting kicker, punter and long snapper. Emmett, a kicker, is a transfer from Western Oregon while Ettridge is a punter from Australia. Bellon should be one of the MW’s top punt returners while Ashley and Woods returned most of the team’s kickoffs last season, averaging 22.8 yards per return. Nevada doesn’t have a long snapper listed on its roster, but Stack, a Bishop Manogue High alum, was one of the top prep prospects at the position in the 2025 class and should start as a freshman.
*****
I only have one position rated higher than a six and that’s a running back room that returns only 154 yards from last season. But I’m high on Turner and believe the Wolf Pack ground game could be above-average in 2025. Even that position has question marks, so it’s hard to point to one clear strength on the roster. Clearly, something will emerge. As Lewis and Coats showed last season, surprises develop. And Nevada will need plenty of those to happen for it to return to a bowl game in 2025 after going 7-30 the last three seasons combined.
Sports columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at crmurray@sbgtv.com or follow him on Twitter @ByChrisMurray.