A veteran at his position, Vance Vice is in his second year as UNLV’s offensive line coach. His first season in Las Vegas saw his position group block for a record-setting scoring offense en route to a regular-season conference co-championship and first bowl trip in a decade. The Rebels, whose 34.4 points-per-game total ranked second in school history and was the best mark since 1980, finished sixth in the nation in third-down conversions at 49.3% after posting more third-down conversions than any team in the country with 101.
Leading the way up front was junior Tiger Shanks, who was named First Team All-Mountain West to become the first UNLV O-lineman since 2002 to earn that honor.
Before joining the Rebels, Vance most recently spent six seasons at Virginia Tech from 2016-21 as the Hokies produced three of their top four seasons for total offense over the past 25 years during his tenure. In fact, under Vice in 2020, Virginia Tech set a school record with 5.58 rushing yards per carry. The Hokies led the ACC that season by averaging 240.1 rushing YPG, the program’s best mark since 2000, highlighted by Khalil Herbert’s 1,182 rushing yards. Vice also tutored future NFL First Round Draft Pick Christian Darrisaw, who was selected 23rd overall out of Va Tech by the Minnesota Vikings in 2021.
Before moving to Blacksburg, Vice also coached under Justin Fuente at the University of Memphis for four seasons (2012-15). In 2014, the Tigers scored a school-record 471 points and led the American Athletic Conference with a 36.2 scoring average. He was part of a staff that led Memphis to what tied for the ninth-best turnaround all-time as the AAC champion Tigers posted their first 10-win season since 1938. The 10-3 Tigers won their final six league games to win the AAC championship and went on to down BYU in the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl.
Before moving to Memphis, Vice spent three seasons as the offensive line coach at ULM (2009-11), four years in the same role at Utah State (2005-08) and five seasons at Illinois State (2000-04) where he was promoted to assistant head coach his final two seasons with the Redbirds. Vice started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Georgia from 1990-91, before working at Hart County (Georgia) High School from 1992-95. He returned to the collegiate level from 1996-98, coaching tight ends at Clemson before spending one year (1999) at Murray State as the offensive line coach.
Vice was a defensive lineman and tight end at Oklahoma State and made three bowl trips with the Cowboys. The three-time All-Big Eight academic selection graduated from OSU in 1990 with a degree in secondary education. He earned a master’s degree in education administration from Georgia in 1993 and an education specialist degree from Clemson in 1999. He and his wife, Kerry, have two daughters, Savannah and Sydni, and a son, Brock, who is a basketball center at North Texas.
VICE’S COACHING FILE
2023-PR UNLV – Offensive Line
2016-21 Virginia Tech – Offensive Line
2012-15 Memphis – Offensive Line
2009-11 ULM – Offensive Line
2005-08 Utah State – Offensive Line
2003-04 Illinois State – Assistant Head Coach, Offensive Line
2000-02 Illinois State – Offensive Line
1999 Murray State – Offensive Line
1996-98 Clemson – Tight Ends
1992-95 Hart County HS – Passing Coordinator, Wide Receivers, Tight Ends
1990-91 Georgia – Graduate Assistant
