The last 24 hours in UNLV Football’s Twitterverse has been some of the most bizarre in recent memory. While failed sources and bad reporting from a few locals permeated throughout the school’s search for a basketball coach this past spring, it was confined to Vegas. This time, even national news media — including the usually reliable Associated Press — dropped the ball, falsely reporting LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda was offered the job and was on the verge of agreeing to join UNLV as head coach, “per sources.”
The timeline went from generally reliable to circus in what felt like an instant, with local scribes like the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Mark Anderson as well as Sin City SM’s writing staff, correctly reporting UNLV was on the verge of hiring Oregon offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo (which came to fruition Wednesday morning).
National news media members Sports Illustrated writer Ross Dellenger, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg and Fox Sports writer Bruce Feldman all falsely reported Aranda was in “serious” negotiations with UNLV.
Some news here in New York, per sources: #LSU’s Dave Aranda, mentioned already at Colorado State, is also in the mix at #UNLV. He’s the highest-paid assistant in the country and wants to be a head coach.
School has spoken to #Oregon OC Marcus Arroyo and Matt Canada.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 10, 2019
Adding to our earlier report: #UNLV and #LSU’s Dave Aranda in serious negotiations. School is working on a deal to make him its new head coach.
UNLV has a new facility, will play in Raiders new stadium and is promising significant financial support for Aranda’s potential staff.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 10, 2019
Sources: #LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda is emerging as a strong candidate for #UNLV's coaching vacancy. #Oregon defensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo is in the mix, too. Aranda is the nation's highest-paid assistant ($2.5 M/year) but recently has pursued head-coaching jobs
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) December 10, 2019
SOURCES: #LSU DC Dave Aranda has emerged as the focus of the #UNLV head coaching search and a deal could be sorted out as early as within the next 24 hours.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 10, 2019
Then the Associated Press jumped on board with the three stooges’ posts and piggybacked the false reports. And, once the Associated Press ran with it, a few of the local bloggers — the same ones who reported Rick Pitino then Thad Matta were done deals to coach UNLV basketball this past spring — jumped into the false reporting mix, even going so far as to intimate they were breaking a story that had been on the internet for almost a half hour.
AP source: UNLV offers head coach job to LSU's Dave Aranda.
By @brettmartel: https://t.co/r8EZAxK1kG
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) December 11, 2019
Per sources #UNLVfb has offered LSU DC Dave Aranda their head coaching job at roughly 6:50pm tonight
— Joe Arrigo (@joearrigo) December 11, 2019
Even the Las Vegas Sun ran with the Associated Press story, posting it online for the better part of the evening. Again, the result of Dellinger’s false report.
Source: UNLV offers head coach job to LSU’s Dave Aranda https://t.co/dCW21YEzWv pic.twitter.com/hJyp7WFEsm
— Las Vegas Sun (@LasVegasSun) December 11, 2019
A person familiar with the situation says @unlvfootball has offered its vacant head coaching job to @LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, @AP reports. #UNLV #Rebels #UNLVFB https://t.co/HgXGvSZw7P
— KTNV Action News (@KTNV) December 11, 2019
In spite of the nonsense, a few level-headed local writers with real sources took to social media to clarify the reports as false.
Arroyo isn't in the mix. He IS the mix.
Not sure where these outlandish Aranda rumors are coming from unless it's leverage for something else. UNLV can't afford his salary or his buyout. Arroyo is already nearing a deal. These National dudes are just humping the SEC train.
— Kevin Fiddler (@KFidds) December 11, 2019
Source: No #UNLVfb job offers made.https://t.co/rWsSxCejhH via @reviewjournal
— Mark Anderson (@markanderson65) December 11, 2019
Then, after a few hours of fans retweeting, posting opinions, radio shows discussing the potential hiring of the highest paid assistant in all of college football, the other shoe finally dropped. Rittenberg tweeted out almost the exact same post as before, changing it to Aranda not a candidate, before shifting back to the actual projected hire that had been accurately reported by the few local media members with solid sources.
Feldman even tried to credit Rittenberg with breaking the story that his own story was false.
Sources now telling me #LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda is not expected to be the next #UNLV coach. There were some initial talks from both sides but no offer was made. #Oregon offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo remains a strong candidate for the UNLV job.
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) December 11, 2019
To update the Dave Aranda/UNLV story: the #LSU DC won't be the next UNLV head coach, per source. @ESPNRittenberg had it first.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 11, 2019
Once the shit hit the fan, pandemonium broke loose and Twitter became more entertaining than UNLV’s brawl with Reno over Thanksgiving weekend.
The Dave Aranda era at UNLV was a glorious 8 hours
— Tyler Bischoff (@Bischoff_Tyler) December 11, 2019
BREAKING: Dave Aranda realizes UNLV is UNLV. https://t.co/8FtiQrh7op
— Alicia de Artola (@PenguinOfTroy) December 11, 2019
In one night (last night), one local blogger attempted to break Dave Aranda getting an offer from UNLV AND Gerrit Cole to the Dodgers. Haha.
Stay hot, meat! 😂😂😂
— Kevin Fiddler (@KFidds) December 11, 2019
Unless Aranda has a gambling and stripper addiction, there's NO WAY he takes HC at UNLV😂 https://t.co/DLDz0Dyx8K
— collyn (@cmd008) December 11, 2019
What is the best era in UNLV sports?
The Mick Cronin Era
The Thad Matta Era
The Chris Beard Era
The Dave Aranda Era #UNLV #UNLVfb #UNLVmbb https://t.co/3D5QuzQlH9— Alex Wright (@AlexWright1028) December 11, 2019
This feels like it’s a Pitino circa 2001 “done deal.”
— New York Rebel (@NYRebelLV) December 11, 2019
In the end, local sports fans were caught in the crossfire of the need to report first, not accurately. Aranda’s agents most likely leaked the news to their go-to SEC-obsessed writers to leverage an even bigger contract for their client, as he did twice before with LSU going from around $500K to $1.2 million to his current $2.5 million.
In today’s social media obsessed era, Las Vegas is going to have to prepare itself for even more nonsense as it continues to evolve into a “major league” sports town with the Raiders heading here for good in less than a year. It’s hard to find reliable reporting that properly vets their “sources” and the embarrassment of reporting false information should be enough to remind media types to show restraint in their quest for clout.
With Arroyo scheduled for a morning press conference, the deal is done. Here’s hoping it will be a long time before UNLV has to hire a new coach for either of its top money-making programs.
Until then, is it too early to start citing my “unnamed source” to report the Ghost of John Wooden is in line to take over the basketball program? Probably, but that won’t stop me!
