New UNLV Football Coach Marcus Arroyo: ‘I Wanted This Job. The Pay Has Nothing To Do With It.’
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
In the business world, you never who will be your boss one day.
Just ask UNLV Athletic Director Desiree Reed-Francois and UNLV’s new football coach, Marcus Arroyo.
Arroyo played quarterback for San Jose State as a student from 1998-2002 when Reed-Francois worked as San Jose’s director of compliance.
“We knew one another. I saw his character up front,” Reed-Francois told LVSportsBiz.com after she introduced Arroyo as UNLV’s new football coach Friday at the Fertitta Football Complex. “I’ve been watching his career for 17 years.”
Based on Reed-Francois’ previous hire of T.J. Otzelberger in March, it’s apparent with the hiring of Arroyo that she likes up-and-comers over big name coaches. Otzelberger, 42, like Arroyo, 39, is an intense, passionate coach and both have young kids. Both also cited Las Vegas’ sports industry renaissance as a contributing factor for coming to UNLV.
Arroyo made $825,000 as the Oregon offensive coordinator and received a pay increase to $1.5 million at UNLV in year one of a five-year deal. There are some pay escalators and incentives built into the 22-page contract:
Arroyo knows the Mountain West Conference well from his days on the San Jose State staff from 2005-08 and his offensive coordinator job at Wyoming. He then worked at California, Southern Mississippi, the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers as interim offensive coordinator, Oklahoma State and Oregon (2017-19).
“I wanted this job. The pay has nothing to do with it,” Arroyo said.
During his introduction, Arroyo said the new $35 million Fertitta training center on campus “was a huge factor” in his decision to take the UNLV head coach job. He noted he would taken the job without the new football complex and the Raiders’ new Allegiant Stadium that opens in 2020 and that will be the home of UNLV football games.
“It just so happens we have a new stadium that’s unbelievable,” Arroyo said.
He mentioned Las Vegas’ sports vibe is a good match for his family. “We’re West Coast people. This fits us perfectly,” Arroyo said.
He met Randall Cunningham, arguably UNLV’s most prominent former NFLer who attended the introduction.
Otzelberger and other sports department coaches and staffers attended the announcement. Arroyo replaces Tony Sanchez, who won 20 of 60 football games during his five seasons and helped with the fund-raising that made the Fertitta Football Complex a reality.
If Arroyo turns around a football program that has minor significance on the national radar and faces a challenge to create new fans in a very competitive sports market, he could turn heads and become a hot commodity. If he leaves before the five-year contract expires, here what he has to pay to leave Las Vegas.
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