Nevada is looking to end a recent tailspin, but it still could take time to totally turn things around. The Wolf Pack are 7-30 over the past three years, including a 3-10 mark last season in the first year under head coach Jeff Choate.
The Wolf Pack lost some key players to the transfer portal, including quarterback Brendon Lewis, now at Memphis, and offensive tackle Isaiah World, currently at Oregon. So rebounding as a program may not be easy.
However, there are some strong returning players who will look to help the Wolf Pack show improvement in Choate’s second season.
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Nevada Football’s Mountain West Title Betting Odds
Nevada’s odds to win the Mountain West are +5000, via BetMGM.
Nevada Football’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
- Nevada’s win total Over/Under is 3.5.
- The Under is at +120.
- The Over is at -145.
Nevada Football’s 2025 Schedule
- 8/30 at Penn State
- 9/6 vs Sacramento State
- 9/13 vs Middle Tennessee
- 9/20 at Western Kentucky
- 10/4 at Fresno State
- 10/11 vs San Diego State
- 10/18 at New Mexico
- 10/25 vs Boise State
- 11/8 at Utah State
- 11/15 vs San Jose State
- 11/22 at Wyoming
- 11/29 vs UNLV
Bold indicates MW contests
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Nevada Season Preview
Replacing Brendon Lewis Is The Toughest Task
It will be a monumental task to replace the dual-threat capability of Lewis at quarterback. Last season, he threw for 2,290 yards and 16 touchdowns (along with seven interceptions) while rushing for 775 yards and eight scores.
The starter is expected to be sixth-year quarterback Chubba Purdy, the brother of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
Last season, Purdy completed 18 of 25 passes for 239 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Before coming to Nevada last year, Purdy had previous stops at Florida State and Nebraska.
AJ Bianco, a redshirt junior who has spent his entire career at Nevada, is the expected backup. Last season, he completed 16 of 24 passes for 173 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions.
Nevada’s Offensive Playmakers
There are four players who are expected to form a running back committee. Utah State transfer Herschel Turner, a redshirt freshman, appeared in three games for the Aggies, rushing for 94 yards and a touchdown.
The three returning running backs are Caleb Ramseur, Ashton Hayes, and Ky Woods. All three had limited carries, with Ramseur having the most with 32.
The leading returning receiver is Marcus Bellon, who had 39 receptions for 522 yards and four touchdowns. He also averaged 9.5 yards on eight punt returns.
Nate Burleson II, who had three receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown in nine games, is expected to have an expanded role. Newcomer Jordan Brown, who began his career at Kansas before playing the last three seasons at Texas Tech, should make a sizable contribution. During 29 career games at Texas Tech, Brown had 36 receptions for 414 yards and a touchdown.
Tight end Jace Henry returns after appearing in the first four games before suffering a season-ending injury. He had seven receptions for 49 yards and two touchdowns. Jett Carpenter, a transfer from Eastern Washington, is also in the tight end mix.
The offensive line is led by Andrew Madrigal, who started all 13 games at center last year and has 33 starts for his career, and guard Josh Grabowski, who appeared in 12 games, making seven starts.
The other three starting spots will be won during camp. One of the players in the mix is tackle Jack Foster, who spent the previous three seasons at Idaho and made 14 starts for the Vandals last year.
Nevada’s Defense Needs Retooling
The defense, which allowed 28.8 points per game in 2024, returns just one full-time starter. Defensive tackle Thomas Witte recorded 34 tackles in 13 games, including 12 starts.
Linebacker Stone Combs appeared in all 13 games last year and made four starts, all in the final four games. He finished fourth on the team with 58 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss.
A new addition that should help at linebacker is Nahji Logan, who spent his first four seasons at UMass and was at Indiana last year where he appeared in four games before deciding to redshirt.
Two transfers will be among the key performers in the rebuilt secondary. Murvin Kenion III is a highly regarded safety from Sacramento State. Last season, he started all 12 games, recording 51 tackles, two interceptions, and nine passes defended.
A serious candidate at cornerback is AJ Odums, who spent the last two years at UTEP where he made 16 starts and recorded 51 tackles, 12 pass breakups, and an interception.
Another player expected to help is safety Bishop Turner, who appeared in 13 games last season for the Wolf Pack, making one start.
Nevada Football Season Prediction
I predict Nevada won’t challenge for the Mountain West Conference title, but I like the Wolf Pack to win four games. It’s possible the win total could be more if Nevada splits its four non-conference games.
Last year, Nevada didn’t win a conference game, but that should change this year. The offense only averaged 23.1 points per game last year and that will have to improve. Purdy’s development is the key for Nevada.
The improvement may not be dramatic this year, but the Wolf Pack should take a step up even if the win total increases by just one game.
