UNLV Football: Can Denver Harris hit his potential with the Rebels?

Looking at some of the most notable UNLV Rebels heading into training camp for the 2025 college football season, one name stands out right away. That’s a former five-star signee and one of the most significant additions from the transfer portal under Dan Mullen. UNLV cornerback Denver Harris is set to represent the scarlet and gray after transferring from UTSA, with previous stops at LSU and Texas A&M along the way.

UNLV Football: Who is Denver Harris?

Denver Harris has a terrific opportunity to shine as one of the top cornerbacks on the UNLV roster. Harris’ intangibles are all there, and the accomplishments before a few pit stops along the road are there to back them. 

Harris is a 2022 Under Armour All-American, and was rated a five-star recruit by on3 and Rivals coming out of the talented North Shore High School in Texas. More recently, being considered a top-100 transfer coming in at No.76 overall in the portal, Harris has had the hype surrounding his upside for years. 

Starting his career with the Texas A&M Aggies, Harris played in only five games. However, he lived up to the profile of a long corner with a pro-level tool kit. Tallying 14 tackles and three pass breakups with the Aggies, he also allowed only four catches for 28 yards.

Harris then decided to transfer to LSU, as his hot start with the Aggies was doused with cold water due to a suspension. His time as a Bayou Bengal would be spotty, as he appeared in only five games and totaled seven tackles and two pass breakups. As his time with LSU ended, Harris transferred from the SEC to the AAC, joining the UTSA Roadrunners in 2024. 

A Rejuvenation at UTSA

In 2024, the Roadrunners would finish 7-6. However, it would be known that Harris was finding his footing again as a legitimate cornerback. He played in 11 games for UTSA, with three starts. He was a solid rotational piece in the Roadrunners’ secondary, with 14 solo tackles and three pass break-ups.

Harris shined on the road against then-No. 2 Texas, with a season-high four solo tackles and one tackle for loss. Meanwhile, his performance against Rice showed the flashes of the five-star profile that Harris was once scouted as, with three unassisted tackles and a pass breakup. Not to forget two key stops in a game versus Kennesaw State, Harris put together a season to build off of as he has now found his way to Las Vegas. 

While not necessarily starting in every game as a perennial corner in the AAC, the 2024 campaign bolstered Harris’s confidence. It added more weight to his resume and presented him as another one of Dan Mullen’s transfers with much left to prove and play for at the college level. 

What to expect in 2025

Denver Harris has the profile of a future NFL cornerback. Through the trials and tribulations of his first two years in college, Denver finds himself in the Las Vegas valley; where not only is head coach Dan Mullen out to prove he’s still got it, but his highly touted transfer is to demonstrate that as well. 

In a secondary with eight transfers, Harris has all the upside and opportunity to highlight the room and be a legitimate starting cornerback in the Mountain West in 2025.  As training camp really starts to heat up, Denver Harris will be a name to keep an eye out for as UNLV is looking to build off of an incredible 2024 season. 

UNLV is seemingly becoming a land of opportunities for a lot of young athletes much like Harris. The 2025 Rebels have put together an impressive transfer portal and now will look to put the resumes onto the grass and see what the results will be come fall.