Former Mustangs standout Moore to return to UNLV

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Toby Moore, a standout offensive and defensive lineman for McDonald County High School from the 2020-21 campaign to the 2023-24 campaign, is set to return to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas for a third season.

Moore saw action in one game for the Rebels in the fall of 2024 as a true freshman but did not see the field this season.

Despite the lack of opportunities thus far, Moore sees the departure of offensive line coach Mike Sollenne to the University of South Florida as a chance to make an impression on the new coach.

"I'll be staying, for sure. At least another year. ... There's going to be a new O-line coach, and I'm going to work to get to impress him and maybe get some rotation time," Moore said Monday, just a few days before Friday's opening of the transfer portal.

The 6-foot-4, 320-pound lineman knows what he needs to do in order to make that positive impression and get himself an opportunity at the top rotation of linemen at UNLV.

Moore sees an importance in being "dominant." He named current and former teammates such as Austin Boyd, Tiger Shanks, Reid Williams and Alani Makihele as players he's seen stand out and make a name for themselves as dominant blockers at the college level.

"There's not very many people that outshine more than the others," Moore said. "In my experience, we've had a few people. ... They've been real dominant, so we knew they would have starting jobs since spring."

Williams won the FCS Rimington Award as the nation's best center at the FCS level last year for Chattanooga. He came to UNLV for the 2025-26 season as a senior.

Moore is going to have a third offensive line coach in three seasons as a Rebel after having Vance Vice in his first season and then Sollenne this season.

But one thing he believes could benefit him in potential playing time as a redshirt sophomore is the return of his head coach this time around.

"Since (head) coach (Dan) Mullen is going to be there, I kind of have a head start over the new guys coming in to maybe get some experience, along with knowing the playbook a little more than most," Moore said.

Mullen will be returning to coach the Rebels, which will be different from last year as head coach Barry Odom left after Moore's first season to coach at Purdue University this fall.

With the popularity and heavy use of the NCAA's transfer portal, newcomers are something Moore will have to contend with in order to play next season. He talked about a large group of transfers coming into UNLV this past year and how the team bonded quickly despite a big swath of new players joining the team.

"This year, I think we had like almost 60 transfers come in. So it wasn't like everyone had been there for a while, but everyone bonded really fast," he said. "I've really liked the team and the atmosphere."

Moore expects to be used as an interior offensive lineman in either the guard or center positions. He talked about factors and characteristics he possesses that can help him step into a starting role next year.

"Being the person to rely on when no one else wants to do stuff," Moore said. "One of my best qualities is pulling and just hitting people as hard as you physically can and sacrificing your body."

Pulling is a tactic that an offense will use with the opposite side guard on a run play. The guard will move from, for example, the right side to the left side to pick up an extra defender on a run to the left side of the line.

He also noted that his footwork is important when going against a defensive end that is using a "twist," where he attacks toward the middle of the line instead of off the edge against an offensive tackle.

Moore was a unanimous all-Big 8 first-team selection as a senior and he also received first-team all-district and second-team all-state honors.

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