UNLV QB Steps Away From Team: Unfulfilled NIL Promises?

In some of the biggest College Football news of the day, UNLV QB, Matthew Sluka, has decided to redshirt the rest of the season despite the Rebels 3-0 start. Now, the Holy Cross transfer has only played three games for the school, and he won all of them. So why would he step away from the program who is off to a roaring start? Let’s dive deeper.

Matthew Sluka Utilizes Redshirt

In a post via X, Matthew Sluka announced to the world that he “decided to utilize my redshirt year and will not be playing in any additional games this season”. He explicitly states that he committed to the school based on “certain representations that were made… which were not upheld” after Sluka joined the program. While he eludes to the fact that he did have hope these commitments would be honored, he adds that “it became clear that these commitments would not be fulfilled in the future” causing him to walk away from the undefeated football team.

Who is at Fault?

Immediately, there are question marks on both sides. What was he offered? Who’s job was it to follow through? Was there a written contract involved? Who is at fault? The list goes on and on.

After further research, it seems that Sluka was offered somewhere around $100,000 to transfer from Holy Cross to UNLV. Apparently he received barely anything, roughly around $3,000 of his guaranteed NIL money. This offer came from an assistant coach, and was reportedly just a verbal agreement between the two parties.

Now of course, this is turning into a “he said, she said” mess, with both sides blaming the other. People are coming after Sluka, saying he is accepting a lot of money from another school to transfer and play there. The same people are saying Sluka approached UNLV  asking for more than the initially agreed upon price following his performance on the field. Both sides are obviously defending themselves, with neither showing early signs of letting up. Instead everyone seems to be doubling down on their stance.

Family members of Sluka’s are coming forward, claiming those that have sources saying Sluka was paid in full, are instead full of baloney. Rob Sluka, Matthew’s brother, and Bob Sluka, his father, have both expressed on social media that commitments were not fulfilled by the university, as well as by Sluka’s NIL representative group.

The Truth Will Prevail

While the truth to this story will continue to come out, my main question is how this impacts the NCAA Football betting landscape. For starters, the Rebels opened as 3 points favorites to the Fresno State Bulldogs at home this week. The line is immediately down to a pick’em at most books. Vegas has completely bailed on UNLV being a playoff team or winning the Mountain West, as the Boise State Broncos are the clear favorite to win the conference.

I would hate to have any sort of UNLV over ticket at this point. Team total wins, Mountain West future, To Make the CFP, any of that might be out the window with Sluka leaving the program. The Rebels back up QB is Senior Cameron Friel, who has thrown 1 pass in his last 2 seasons since losing the starting job as a sophomore. UNLV’s offense is taking a huge step backwards without Sluka under center. While he isn’t the best pocket passer, he has thrown 6 TDs and just 1 INT this season. He’s only completed 44% of his passes, but he’s made up for it on the ground.

Sluka is UNLV’s leading rusher so far this season. He has 39 carries for 253 yards and a TD. He is averaging over 6.5 yards per carry, and he accounts for a quarter of the team’s rushes and almost 30% of their rushing yards. That is a bunch of production to fill, and I do not think Friel is up to the task.

Problems With NIL

This opens up much bigger issues for the NCAA and NIL as a whole. Schools can not get away with promising young kids six figures to play for them without following through. It’s intentionally shady business at best, and its much worse considering the NCAA’s overall exploitation of college athletes throughout the years. There isn’t currently a governing body for these kinds of issues, so Sluka is playing the only card he can and saving his last year of eligibility. In the landscape of NIL, maximizing the years he can utilize this resource is a smart move in my opinion.

My biggest apologies to anyone holding UNLV futures, you might as well use them the next time you run out of toilet paper. The Rebels are nothing without Sluka, and assuming what he and his family are saying is true, I hope UNLV loses every game for the rest of the year. An absolute scumbag move, but then again, it’s called Sin City for a reason.

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