After main his crew to a 3-0 begin, UNLV beginning quarterback Matthew Sluka introduced late Tuesday night time that he was completed taking part in for the Rebels due to guarantees made round his NIL compensation that weren’t fulfilled.
Sluka, a Holy Cross switch, plans to take a seat out the remainder of the season as a redshirt and reenter the switch portal in December. His sudden resolution raises questions in regards to the nature of his monetary settlement with UNLV, how the deal fell aside and who finally bears accountability for an undefeated crew dropping its high quarterback.
Here is what that you must know as this story continues to develop:
Who’s Matthew Sluka?
Sluka joined UNLV this summer season after a embellished profession on the FCS stage at Holy Cross. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound senior was a three-year starter and two-time finalist for the Walter Payton Award, which fits to the highest offensive participant in FCS. Sluka earned Patriot League Offensive Participant of the Yr honors in 2023 after producing 1,728 passing yards and 1,247 speeding yards with 29 whole touchdowns.
On the finish of the season, Holy Cross coach Bob Chesney and his workers left to take over James Madison and Sluka opted to check his choices within the switch portal. UNLV introduced him in after dropping beginning quarterback Jayden Maiava, the Mountain West Freshman of the Yr, to USC.
After three video games, Sluka led all Mountain West quarterbacks in speeding yards per recreation and had 253 whole speeding yards. He threw for 318 yards with seven whole touchdowns and one turnover whereas main a Rebels offense that ranks fifth in FBS in speeding.
How is UNLV doing this season?
Following a formidable 9-5 debut season, coach Barry Odom has the Rebels within the hunt for a bid within the expanded 12-team School Soccer Playoff. UNLV is off to a 3-0 begin with upset wins on the street towards Huge 12 packages Houston and Kansas. Sluka powered the crew’s win over the Jayhawks on Sept. 13 with a team-high 124 speeding yards on 19 carries plus 86 passing yards and a landing.
The Rebels rose to No. 23 within the coaches ballot this week after their idle week. UNLV and Boise State have emerged as in style picks to earn a spot within the inaugural expanded playoff. If the Rebels win the Mountain West, they will have a powerful likelihood of incomes the bid.
What we learn about Sluka’s departure
Sluka’s NIL consultant, Marcus Cromartie of Fairness Sports activities, informed ESPN that Sluka is leaving this system after he was verbally promised a minimal of $100,000 from a UNLV coach and solely acquired $3,000.
His father, Bob Sluka, informed ESPN they’d a verbal settlement with UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion for what they believed was a “cheap, honest quantity,” even when it was a lot lower than what Energy 4 packages supplied, however funds have been repeatedly delayed and no effort was made to formalize a contract with their collective for that quantity.
After UNLV’s win over Kansas, Bob Sluka stated Odom and Cromartie spoke on Sept. 19 and the top coach refused to uphold the settlement, as an alternative providing $3,000 for relocation prices and asserting that the supply wasn’t legitimate as a result of it did not come from him. Sluka’s camp contends they by no means went to Odom looking for extra money, solely what they have been promised up entrance. Marion declined to remark to ESPN.
Rob Sine of Blueprint Sports activities, the corporate that manages UNLV’s collective, confirmed to ESPN that Sluka had no deal in writing with the collective and stated the collective wasn’t conscious of any guarantees to pay Sluka $100,000. Sine additionally confirmed that Sluka acquired one $3,000 fee.
In a press release, UNLV stated Sluka’s representatives made monetary calls for with the intention to proceed taking part in that its athletic division interpreted as a violation of the NCAA pay-for-play guidelines and Nevada state legislation. “UNLV doesn’t interact in such actions, nor does it reply to implied threats,” the varsity stated within the assertion.
How can Sluka go away in the course of the season?
School soccer gamers can not enter the switch portal right now, however they will go away a program at any time when they need. The NCAA’s switch portal window doesn’t open till Dec. 9, which is the Monday after convention championship video games. Sluka will be unable to enter his identify into the portal till then and can’t be a part of one other crew to maintain taking part in in 2024.
The choice Sluka made isn’t unusual on the planet of switch recruiting. Yearly, many gamers determine to switch due to disagreements over NIL worth and funds, and there have been a number of cases of gamers reentering the switch portal this spring to hunt extra money from one other faculty.
Monetary points apart, his motivation for leaving now could be to reap the benefits of the four-game redshirt rule and play yet another school season in 2025.
What’s the redshirt rule?
School soccer gamers can acquire one extra season of eligibility in the event that they play in 4 video games or fewer in a 12 months and take a redshirt season. The rule was carried out in 2018 and is historically meant for youthful gamers who play restricted snaps as backups. The NCAA is at present contemplating extending that four-game most to exempt convention title, bowl and School Soccer Playoff video games. Sluka performed 4 seasons at Holy Cross and didn’t make the most of a redshirt 12 months. As a result of he started his profession in 2020 throughout COVID-19, he may reap the benefits of an additional season of eligibility in 2024. By redshirting, he’ll have the ability to play in 2025.
Are NIL disputes like this frequent?
Points like these happen on a regular basis however not often spill out into the general public. Quarterback Jaden Rashada suing Florida coach Billy Napier and others over a failed $13.85 million deal is by far essentially the most distinguished instance of a participant trying to carry a college accountable for unfulfilled guarantees, however these points happen steadily in a market the place NIL alternatives can usually be exaggerated in the course of the recruiting course of.
The offers that gamers strike with faculty NIL collectives should not binding employment contracts. Gamers and their households or representatives looking for extra money from a collective than was initially agreed upon is commonplace, particularly in the event that they obtain higher gives from different packages. However simply as commonplace are cases of gamers incomes much less cash than they anticipated or have been promised, both verbally or in writing.
“We’re a hardworking household,” Bob Sluka informed ESPN. “To have the ability to have an athlete like Matt, we do not even actually care that a lot in regards to the cash. However there’s a precept to it. He isn’t the primary athlete to have this occur. We have heard it from 1,000,000 youngsters that they do not get their cash. So possibly Matt must be the poster boy, however we do not need him to. However we’re not going to have Barry Odom simply arise and say, ‘F you, I am not paying you, get your ass out on the sphere.'”
What does this say in regards to the state and way forward for NIL?
Sluka’s departure from UNLV highlights a troubling difficulty for all events at a time when the foundations round participant compensation are about to dramatically change.
If authorized, the Home v. NCAA antitrust settlement will carry on a brand new period of income sharing in school athletics starting in 2025-26. Colleges will have the ability to instantly pay their athletes through NIL offers as much as a restrict, anticipated to be between $20 and $23 million per faculty subsequent 12 months with annual will increase.
That settlement is at present on maintain after Choose Claudia Wilken declined to grant preliminary approval on Sept. 5 and ordered attorneys to “return to the drafting board” relating to restrictions round third-party NIL funds from collectives.
On this strategy of modernizing school athletics, the NCAA has lengthy opposed shifting towards a mannequin that deems its athletes staff of their faculty and has spent a number of years lobbying Congress for assist with federal legislature to forestall athletes from being thought of staff.
What’s subsequent for UNLV?
The Rebels will transfer ahead with seniors Hajj-Malik Williams and Cameron Friel as their high choices at quarterback as they enter Mountain West convention play on Saturday towards Fresno State.
Williams, an FCS switch from Campbell, has appeared in two video games this season and rushed for 88 yards on 10 carries throughout UNLV’s 72-14 blowout win over Utah Tech. He turned Campbell’s all-time main passer with 8,236 yards and 58 touchdowns over his 5 seasons in this system. Friel has earned 10 begins for the Rebels over the previous two seasons.
Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.