UNLV football coach Barry Odom has recruited Las Vegas high schools arguably better than any coach in program history.
He signed seven prospects last month on the national signing day, showing the effort to reach out to local high schools was a success. Three of those prospects came from state power Liberty.
So when new UNR coach Jeff Choate posted on social media today that he was “Down here planting this Flag!” while recruiting in Las Vegas, Odom quickly responded to remind the first-year UNR coach about which program was the state's most dominant.
Choate’s post included clip art of the UNR flag waving above the Strip with the message, “Turn Las Vegas blue.”
Odom replied to the post on X (formerly Twitter) with a picture of the Fremont Cannon painted red.
UNLV has beaten UNR the past two seasons in the Fremont Cannon rivalry game, including 45-27 this season in Odom’s initial game against the Reno university. UNLV won nine games and played in the league championship; UNR won two games and passed for just six touchdowns.
The playful back-and-forth between the coaches in the offseason certainly adds intrigue to a rivalry that is already one of the best in the Mountain West.
The teams will play in 2024 at Allegiant Stadium.