Davis Mallinger, who joined the Nevada football team this winter as a transfer from West Virginia, was arrested Thursday afternoon and booked into the Washoe County detention facility on four felony drug charges.
Mallinger, a 22-year-old defensive back who participated in Nevada’s spring camp, was booked on two charges of possessing a controlled substance of schedule I/schedule II drugs. He also was booked on two counts of “possession with intent to sell schedule I/schedule II flunitrazepam, GHB.” Flunitrazepam is a tranquilizer used to treat severe insomnia and assist with anesthesia. Flunitrazepam and GHB are both known as common date-rape drugs, performance-enhancing drugs and recreational drugs.
All four charges were first offenses for Mallinger with each being a felony charge.
“Nevada athletics is aware of this situation, and is working to gather more information at this time,” a Wolf Pack spokesperson said in a statement to Nevada Sports Net on Friday morning. “Davis Mallinger has been suspended indefinitely from the Nevada football team.”
There are five “schedules” of illegal drugs, according to the DEA. Mallinger’s arrest was for schedule I and/or schedule II drugs. The lower the schedule number the higher the potential for abuse. Schedule I drugs are those without an accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse and thus deemed the most harmful.
Schedule I drugs include heroin, LSD, marijuana, ecstasy, methaqualone and peyote. Schedule II drugs include Vicodin, cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, Dilaudid, Demerol, OxyContin, fentanyl, Dexedrine, Adderall and Ritalin. Here is the full list of drugs by schedule.
A first-offense sale of a schedule I or II substance is a Category B felony in Nevada, which could include a penalty of imprisonment for a minimum of 1 year and maximum of no more than 6 years with the potential for up to a $20,000 fine for each offense. Probation is available on first offenses.
The exact drugs allegedly in Mallinger’s possession are unknown as a police booking sheet was not immediately available. Nevada Sports Net has filed a public records request for the booking sheet. The Sparks Police Department was the arresting agency. Mallinger was booked at 3:38 p.m. Thursday.
A native of Melbourne, Fla., Mallinger is a redshirt junior at Nevada after three seasons at West Virginia. With the Mountaineers, Mallinger played safety and wide receiver. He appeared in 14 games with 29 tackles and two sacks. After starting four of the eight games he appeared in during the 2022 season, Mallinger played just one last season. He made the academic All-Big 12 second team in 2022. Mallinger was recruited to Nevada by first-year head coach Jeff Choate during the 2024 signing period and announced as part of the team in February.
Mallinger had not been released from the Washoe County detention facility as of 8 a.m. Friday. His first court appearance is expected later this month at Reno Judicial Court.
The last Wolf Pack player arrested on similar charges was 2021 when Nevada wideout Isaac Jernagin was booked on six felony drugs charges, including two counts of possession of schedule I/II drugs and two counts of possession with intent to sell schedule I/schedule II flunitrazepam, GHB. Jernagin was dismissed from the team the day after his arrest by then-Nevada coach Jay Norvell. After a year at Bakersfield College, Jernagin resurfaced at San Jose State where he played for the Spartans from 2022-23. He is no longer on SJSU’s roster. Jernagin’s case was dismissed in June 2023.