Matthew Sluka Transferring Out of UNLV Over Failed NIL Agreements
There is major news coming out of the world of college football. UNLV Runnin' Rebels quarterback Matthew Sluka is transferring out of the program after commitments, and "certain representations" were not made to him for a failed NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) agreement after posting on social media late Tuesday night.
"I have decided to utilize my redshirt year and will not be playing in any additional games this season," Sluka said. "I committed to UNLV based on certain representations that were made to me, which were not upheld after I enrolled. Despite discussions, it became clear that these commitments would not be fulfilled in the future. I wish my teammates the best of luck this season and hope for the continued success of the program."
This will be the second time that Sluka has entered the transfer portal. He left Holy Cross this offseason to head to UNLV.
The Rebels are off to a 3-0 start to the 2024 college football season with Sluka playing quarterback. In his first three games, Sluka, a dual-threat QB, threw for 318 yards and six touchdowns. In addition, he has posted 253 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Heading into the season, UNLV was one of the top contenders to secure the Group of Five bid to the 12-team College Football Playoffs. UNLV is coming off a big win over Kansas 23-20 and another win over a Big Four school in Houston.
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According to Matthew Sluka's representation, Marcus Cromartie of Equity Sports, via Pete Thamel of ESPN, the school verbally promised a minimum of $100,000 from a UNLV assistant coach for transferring there, according to Cromartie.
Per ESPN:
Once Sluka enrolled there, the UNLV collective did not attempt to formalize a contract at that amount. Months later, Cromartie made multiple efforts with the staff and school to address the issue. He said the school and collective came back with a contract of $3,000 per month for the next four months. That’s $88,000 less than what Cromartie said UNLV verbally promised upfront.
According to Cromartie, Sluka has only received a $3,000 re-location stipend from UNLV for his move. Cromartie said there was never an ask for more money after UNLV's hot start, only the initial amount he was promised upfront. When that didn’t come, he evaluated his options and decided play elsewhere next year. The redshirt will allow him to play a full spring at a new school and develop with a trainer this fall. He enrolled in July at UNLV after graduating from Holy Cross and missed spring.
This is opening a can of worms for the world of college football. We have seen college football players verbally commit to a school, blackout, and change schools during signing day. The schools do not like that, especially at the last minute. This is a similar situation. There was never a document written stating the terms of the NIL deal.
While verbal agreements are agreements, not having this type of deal in writing was a mistake on both the player's and school's part. The big thing with the NIL money is that the school has to raise the money. The money is not in place already. Thus, Sluka has not gotten paid for a verbal commitment.
The school has yet to honor Matthew Sluka's verbal agreement, so Sluka decided to take his talents elsewhere.
With Sluka transferring out of UNLV, the Rebels will turn to Hajj-Malik Williams or Cameron Friel as the starter for the rest of the season. Williams came to the team this past offseason from Campbell, while Friel has been with the school since 2021.
Friel played significant snaps as a true freshman during the 2021 season, completing 62.4% of his attempts for 1,608 yards and six touchdowns. He has only attempted 50 passes in the last three seasons since.
This decision sets a precedent, as the transfer portal and NIL in college football allow unlimited free agency, which the new system was not designed to do.