UNLV starting quarterback Matthew Sluka is stepping away from the Rebels program and will redshirt with intentions of entering the transfer portal, he announced late Tuesday on social media. Sluka attributed the leave to "certain representations" that the school made to him when he transferred from Holy Cross this offseason.
"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."
Blueprint Sports -- the company that handles UNLV's NIL collective -- responded to Sluka's statement, claiming no formal monetary offers were made during his recruitment process.
"We want to address the recent developments surrounding Matthew Sluka and his decision to redshirt for the remainder of the year," the company's statement read. "To clarify, there were no formal NIL offers made during Mr. Sluka's recruitment process. Additionally, Friends of UNILV did not finalize or agree to any NIL offers while he was part of the team, aside from a completed community engagement event over the summer. At Blueprint Sports and Friends of UNILV, we take our commitments very seriously. We would like to emphasize that we have upheld all Friends of UNILV contracts this season, and have not defaulted on any agreements with Mr. Sluka. Our commitment to supporting Rebel student-athletes remains unwavering, and we are dedicated to maintaining the integrity of our programs."
UNLV also released a statement Wednesday afternoon, calling demands from Sluka's camp a "violation of NCAA pay-for-play rules."
"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," the statement read. "UNLV does not engage in such activity, nor does it respond to implied threats. 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."
The Rebels are off to a 3-0 start to the 2024 season under Sluka's watch. In the first three games, Sluka threw for 318 yards and six touchdowns and also added another dynamic as a runner, posting 253 yards rushing and a touchdown.
— Matthew Sluka (@MatthewSluka) September 25, 2024
UNLV is one of the top early contenders to secure the Group of Five bid to the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. The Rebels are coming off an impressive 23-20 win over Kansas and have another Power Four win over Houston.
With Sluka out, UNLV will turn to Hajj-Malik Williams or Cameron Friel as the starter for the rest of the season. Williams transferred in this past offseason from Campbell, while Friel has been with the program 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.
While the NCAA rarely comments on NIL matters, the usual and unexpected nature of this story prompted a statement from Tim Buckley, the group's senior vice president for external affairs.
"The NCAA fully supports college athletes profiting from their NIL, but unfortunately there is little oversight or accountability in the NIL space and far too often promises made to student-athletes are broken," the statement read. "Positive changes are underway at the NCAA to deliver more benefits to student-athletes but without clear legal authority granted by the courts or by Congress, the NCAA, conferences and schools have limited authority to regulate third parties involved in NIL transactions."
UNLV hosts Fresno State on Saturday in its Mountain West Conference opener.
