University of Nevada Las Vegas

UNLV: An athletic quarterback who is also a dangerous threat as a runner … Pushed into extensive duty because of injuries in both of his first two seasons with the Rebels … Will compete with Armani Rogers and Johnny Stanton at QB and also looks to serve as team’s holder on kicks again as a senior … Last name is pronounced “PAL-in-deck” … A top student who is already a five-time member of the UNLV Dean’s Honor List … Named Academic All-Mountain West in both 2015 and ’16.

2016: Played in 11 games, including starting three … Finished with 647 yards passing with five TDs and just two interceptions … Ranked third on team with 359 net rushing yards and five touchdowns … Came off the bench at San Jose State in relief of Dalton Sneed on Oct. 29 and nearly led Rebels to a comeback victory by throwing for 161 yards and a score and rushing for 44 more and another score in the six-point loss … Started the following three games … Orchestrated the biggest victory of the year the following week vs. Wyoming by completing a career-high 20 of 32 attempts for a career-high 252 yards and three touchdowns … Also ran for a career-high 157 yards on 16 carries vs. the Cowboys, including running untouched up the middle for a 75-yard touchdown sprint in the three-overtime, 69-66, thriller that would go down as the third-highest scoring game in FBS history … The 157 yards were the second most recorded by a Rebel signal-caller, just eight yards short of record-holder Hunkie Cooper, who went for 165 in 1991 … Palandech’s efforts led him to becoming the first UNLV quarterback to be named MW Player of the Week since Caleb Herring in 2013 … He was also part of the Manning Award’s “Stars of the Week” list and named to the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award’s Great 8 honorees for Week 11 … Completed half of his 20 attempts for 113 yards and a score while rushing for 64 yards and two more TDs vs. Boise State on Nov. 18 … Closed the year by throwing for 121 yards and one TD and rushing for 98 and a score vs. UNR on Nov. 26.

2015: Earned his first letter as a Rebel by playing in 11 games, including three starts ... Completed 75 of 152 pass attempts for 794 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions … Was a weapon with his legs, rushing for a net of 293 yards and four touchdowns with a long of 39 … Came off the bench after Blake Decker was injured on multiple occasions … Ran five times for 42 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown in the season opener at NIU … Entered the game and immediately engineered a TD drive capped by his own 12-yard scamper into the end zone to help build UNLV’s lead to 13-0 at halftime at Nevada, Reno in Game Five … Also scored from 14 yards out vs. CSU in Game 10 and on a 12-yard jaunt in Game 10 at Wyoming … Made his first start vs. San Jose State and completed half of his 30 attempts for a season-high 217 yards and two TDs … Also started the following week at Fresno State in Game Seven and again vs. SDSU in Game 11 … Threw two touchdown passes four different times during the fall … One of three midyear signees who enrolled in January and took part in spring practice with the Rebels.

JUNIOR COLLEGE: Played one season at Laney College in Oakland, CA, which is also the alma mater of UNLV head coach Tony Sanchez and former UNLV star RB Frank “The Tank” Summers … Led the Eagles to a 6-5 record and an appearance in the Bulldog Bowl in 2014 … Finished with 1,634 passing yards and 17 touchdowns … Also rushed for 390 yards and five scores.

NORTH DAKOTA: Redshirted his freshman season at the FCS school located in Grand Forks.

HIGH SCHOOL: A 2013 graduate of Plainfield North HS in Plainfield, IL … A two-year letterwinner under coach Tim Kane … Earned All-Southwest Prairie All-Conference honors as a junior and senior … Also named all-area as a junior and senior … Threw for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for 684 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior … Made 17 tackles and had three interceptions as a defensive back … As a junior, threw for a school-record 1,337 yards and seven touchdowns … Also was a three-year starter on the basketball team and two-year starter in baseball during his prep career.

PERSONAL: Kurtis Palandech was born in Plainfield, IL … The son of Paul and Julie Palendech … Has one older brother, Kyle … Majoring in management.