Ad Disclosure
Dave Aranda discusses his involvement in UNLV’s search for new head coach
Published:
When the head coaching position opened up at UNLV following the dismissal of Tony Sanchez, the Rebels were clearly interested in hiring a top assistant from a successful Power 5 program.
While LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda was a candidate for the position, UNLV ultimately hired Oregon offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo following the Ducks’ winning the Pac-12 Championship in 2019.
During his Tuesday morning media availability, Aranda was asked to discuss his interest in the UNLV job and how far those talks went before the job went to Arroyo.
“Any time that you are presented with an opportunity, I think you — for you, for your family, you want to look into it,” Aranda said. “It was just preliminary talks, it was nothing more than that. I feel like that program has a great situation. The AD there and the people associated with there going to be on a great track. I wish them well.”
Aranda is currently in an interesting position down in Baton Rouge as the nation’s highest-paid assistant coach would have to take a pay cut in order to land a head coaching job at most schools around the nation.
Clearly, LSU wants to hold on to Aranda for as long as they can and compensate him accordingly, but if he wants to prove his value as a head coach at some point, the LSU assistant is going to have to not only take a chance on himself but he’s going to have to do it at a reduced rate until he proves he can also excel running an entire program.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
