Current:Home > StocksWho is Matt Sluka? UNLV QB redshirting remainder of season amid reported NIL dispute-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Who is Matt Sluka? UNLV QB redshirting remainder of season amid reported NIL dispute
View Date:2024-12-23 23:55:53
This story was updated to add new information
UNLV football is out to its best start since 1984 at 3-0 with wins Power Four against Kansas and Houston, but the Rebels are undergoing a quarterback change.
Late Tuesday night, starting quarterback Matt Sluka announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he is opting to use the remainder of the 2024 college football season as a redshirt year.
Sluka noted in his post that certain commitments made to him before enrolling at UNLV from Holy Cross this past offseason were not being upheld and fulfilled.
REQURIED READING:UNLV quarterback sitting out rest of season due to unfulfilled 'commitments'
Sluka's decision to redshirt for the remainder of the 2024 college football season comes at a time when UNLV is currently on path to making the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff as a Group of Five selection. As noted by USA TODAY, Sluka's decision also allows him to transfer once the transfer portal opens up on Dec. 9.
And so, curiosity has risen since Sluka's announcement of whether he is transferring from UNLV and if both parties are in an NIL dispute.
Here's what to know:
Matt Sluka-UNLV NIL dispute
Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) has changed the landscape of college athletics, as has been showcased by the increase in numbers of players entering the transfer portal the last few seasons as their production on the gridiron (at a mid-major) increased their market value for compensation.
That was the case with Sluka, as his successes at Holy Cross led to his transfer to UNLV. However, according to ESPN's college football insider Pete Thamel, the Rebels haven't fulfilled their end of the NIL agreement with the dual-threat quarterback.
Thamel reported that Sluka was verbally promised by one of UNLV's assistant coaches a minimum $100,000 NIL package if he transferred from Holy Cross to the Rebels. UNLV has yet to pay Sluka for any of that.
Thamel, who spoke with Sluka's NIL representative, went on to report that "there was no effort by UNLV's collective" to formalize an NIL contract with Sluka for the verbally promised $100,000 once he enrolled at UNLV. UNLV and its NIL collective countered with a contract of $3,000 per month for the next four months, per Thamel. When totaled up, the counter contract is $88,000 less than what Sluka was promised before his transfer.
Sluka's NIL representative Marcus Cromartie of Equity Sports told Thamel that the only payment Sluka has received was his $3,000 relocation stipend.
Sluka's father, Bob Sluka, told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg that UNLV originally told the quarterback when he reported this summer that he would receive his NIL contract in a payment plan. However, UNLV deferred the start of the payment plan twice, first until classes for the fall semester started and then until UNLV's first game on Aug. 31 at Houston.
"They keep deferring, 'We don't know. You have to wait,'" Bob Sluka told Rittenberg in a statement. "Then it was like, 'We're going to give him game checks.' So we're like, 'OK, great.' We did not ask for a single dollar [more]."
Rob Sine, who is the CEO of Blueprint Sports and operates UNLV's NIL collective, told Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger that the collective never agreed with Sluka on a $100,000 NIL contract.
UNLV statement
UNLV Athletics released the following statement Wednesday afternoon:
"Football player Matthew Sluka's representative made financial demands upon the University and its NIL collective in order to continue playing. UNLV Athletics interpreted these demands as a violation of the NCAA pay-for-play rules, as well as Nevada state law. UNLV does not engage in such activity, nor does it respond to implied threats," UNLV Athletics said in a statement.
"UNLV has honored all previously agreed-upon scholarships for Matthew Sluka. UNLV has conducted its due diligence and will continue to operate its programs within the framework of NCAA rules and regulations, as well as Nevada state laws."
Blueprint Sports, which oversees UNLV's collective, also released a statement saying no commitments were made via NBC's Nicole Auerbach.
Is Matt Sluka transferring?
No, at least Sluka didn't say that in his statement, at this time. Instead, Sluka will use the remainder of the 2024 college football season as a redshirt year, meaning he will have one more year of eligibility next year.
The NCAA currently allows those who play college football to play up to four regular-season games before deciding whether they would like to take a redshirt year or not, for whatever reason.
Who is UNLV football's backup?
Senior quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams is listed as UNLV's backup, as noted in the Rebels' game notes for Saturday's game vs. Fresno State.
Like Sluka, Williams transferred into UNLV over the offseason through the transfer portal from Campbell University. Last season at Campbell, which competes in the FCS, Williams put up career-high numbers across the board, including passing yards (2,597), touchdowns (19) and completion percentage (70%).
Behind Williams in the depth chart is senior Cameron Friel.
Matt Sluka eligibility
Sluka is listed as a senior on UNLV's official roster, and is in his fifth college football season. Following this redshirt season he will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Matt Sluka stats
In three games this season at UNLV, Sluka completed 21 of 48 of his passes for 318 yards with six touchdowns and an interception. He has also rushed for 253 yards and a touchdown on 39 carries.
Here's a year-by-year breakdown on his collegiate stats:
- 2020 (Holy Cross): 20 of 35 (57%) passing for 187 yards with two touchdowns and an interception; 44 carries for 234 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns
- 2021 (Holy Cross): 117 of 208 (56%) passing for 1,512 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions; 166 carries for 868 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns
- 2022 (Holy Cross): 153 of 266 (58%) passing for 2,489 yards with 26 touchdowns and four interceptions; 203 carries for 1,234 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns
- 2023 (Holy Cross): 122 of 197 (62%) passing for 1,728 yards with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions; 186 carries for 1,247 rushing yards with nine touchdowns
- 2024 (UNLV): 21 of 48 (44%) passing for 318 yards with six touchdowns and an interception; 39 carries for 253 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown
veryGood! (221)
Related
- Former Disney Star Skai Jackson Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby With Her Boyfriend
- Jerome Powell's fed speech today brought interest rate commentary and a hot mic moment
- AP Week in Pictures: North America
- Virginia's Perris Jones has 'regained movement in all of his extremities'
- Bluesky has added 1 million users since the US election as people seek alternatives to X
- Foreman runs for TD, Bears beat Panthers 16-13 to boost their shot at the top pick in the draft
- Chicago White Sox announcer Jason Benetti moving to Detroit for TV play-by-play
- Taylor Swift returns to Eras Tour in 'flamingo pink' for sold-out Buenos Aires shows
- RHOBH's Erika Jayne Reveals Which Team She's on Amid Kyle Richards, Dorit Kemsley Feud
- Federal judge puts Idaho’s ‘abortion trafficking’ law on hold during lawsuit
Ranking
- Judge extends the time to indict the driver accused of killing Johnny Gaudreau and his brother
- This Golden Bachelor Fan-Favorite Reveals She Almost Returned After Her Heartbreaking Early Exit
- A radical plan to fix Argentina's inflation
- Biggest stars left off USMNT Nations League roster. Latest injury update for Pulisic, Weah
- Britney Spears Reunites With Son Jayden Federline After His Move to Hawaii
- Iconic 1990s Philadelphia Eagles jacket like one worn by Princess Diana going on sale
- Media watchdog says it was just ‘raising questions’ with insinuations about photographers and Hamas
- Protesters stage sit-in at New York Times headquarters to call for cease-fire in Gaza
Recommendation
-
QTM Community Introduce
-
Expensive judicial races might be here to stay in Pennsylvania after record high court campaign
-
Election workers report receiving suspicious packages, some containing fentanyl, while processing ballots
-
Prue Leith Serves Up Sizzling Details About Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' Baking Show Visit
-
California Gov. Gavin Newsom will spend part of week in DC as he tries to Trump-proof state policies
-
Erdogan backtracks after siding with court that defied top court’s ruling on lawmaker’s release
-
Conservative Muslims protest Coldplay’s planned concert in Indonesia over the band’s LGBTQ+ support
-
Black riverboat co-captain faces assault complaint filed by white boater in Alabama dock brawl