LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A day after his abrupt firing as head coach of UNLV Rebels football, Marcus Arroyo says he is "disappointed we're not going to be able to finish what we started here just three years ago."
Arroyo posted a statement on social media Tuesday morning. It comes after UNLV Athletic Director Erick Harper convened a press conference Monday to explain his decision to fire Arroyo after three years.
Arroyo's termination came after UNLV just a few days after Rebels football defeated in-state rival Nevada to break a six-game losing streak.
The school's national search for a new head coach would begin "immediately," Harper said, adding that he's looking for a coach with championship experience.
Harper also addressed Arroyo's 7-23 record in Mountain West Conference play, saying that the "full body of work did not see the trajectory of the program moving where we want it to go, and that's winning championships."
In his statement, Arroyo defended his coaching tenure, highlighting progress the team made in spite of setbacks from the COVID pandemic.
"As an incoming staff in the early months of 2020, we were setback by the COVID pandemic as so many others were, but we believed that over our two full seasons, our program had made great strides in our culture, in player development, in recruiting, and in the classroom, and it was beginning to translate to competitiveness every week on the field."
"We were looking forward to coaching our first recruiting class coming back for it senior year and fielding an experienced team," he added. "We are very proud of how this roster was rebuilt with good students, good community members and good players."
— Coach Arroyo (@coacharroyo) November 29, 2022
As UNLV begins the search for its 13th head coach in program history, Arroyo said he believes he left the program in good shape.
"UNLV Football is now set up for imminent success. We are on the brink of the program's fourth possible bowl game in the program's 45-year history. Our Academic Progress Report (APR) rate is at an all-time high, which will likely result in our student-athletes earning UNLV's first bowl game invitation in eight years," Arroyo stated. "The program is in good shape and I wish the new coaching staff all of the very best in the years ahead."
Harper said he's feeling the pressure to make the right coaching decision for UNLV now, with elevated interest in the team and the multi-billion-dollar Allegiant Stadium as the home of Rebels football.
The UNLV coaching position comes with a "competitive" $1.55 million salary — the third-highest paid head football coaching job in the Mountain West Conference, Harper noted.
"There's a lot of interest across the board, and we're going to pick the best person for our program," Harper said.
In the meantime, associate head coach Kenwick Thompson will take the helm as interim head coach.
