NFL
By: Brock Vierra
Massive news came out of UNLV last night as starting QB Matthew Sluka announced he is exercising his redshirt option, effectively ending his season and his tenure with the Rebels. In an unprecedented move, Sluka becomes the first player in college football to opt out of the season due to issues surrounding his NIL deal.
In a social media post announcing his decision, Sluka commented that UNLV had failed to honor commitments made to him during his recruitment process and the program would not be able to fulfill those obligations moving forward.
Sluka did not go into detail regarding such commitments. He has yet to enter the transfer portal though such a move seems likely.
Sluka’s decision has divided the college football community with some chastising the young man for quitting on his team while others recognize the claim that UNLV and/or its NIL collective has yet to meet its obligations, thus relieving Sluka of his.
Multiple rumors are unconfirmed stating that Sluka has been courted by other programs offering him more money. Another unconfirmed rumor is that Sluka asked UNLV for more money and was denied. Again, these are all rumors and should be treated as such.
The point remains that Sluka’s decision has drastically changed the landscape of college football. We’ve seen players opt out during the season as was done during the COVID year and also by D’Eric King at Houston but that was based off of health and team performance concerns.
We’ve also seen players decommit because of NIL as in the case of Jaden Rashada but that was done before the season. Now the question becomes if Sluka is the first player to opt out due to NIL, who will be next?
Here’s my take. We don’t know enough to have an opinion. If UNLV failed to properly pay him what was promised, Sluka has every right to find an opportunity elsewhere. If you have a problem with that, go work your job and then burn your paycheck. See how you like it.
But if UNLV fulfilled all of its commitments to Sluka and he still left, then that’s his choice and he should be shamed for it.
However, if Sluka is opting out because another team is offering more money, the NCAA needs to step in and strike down massive sanctions on tampering. The NCAA in typical fashion has been a useless organization that has benefitted no one but themselves, leading to the wild west we now know as NIL and the transfer portal. It is their responsibility to step up and lay down the law so other programs don’t get comfortable hitting up players like it’s an old ex during the season. They won’t because the NCAA is filled with spineless, feckless thugs but I digress.
In the aftermath of such a bizarre turn of events for the nationally ranked Rebels, one has to feel for OC Brennan Marion. Whether it’s Hajj-Malik Williams or Cam Friel that succeeds Sluka, it will be Marion’s fourth starting QB in less than two years. Incumbent starter Doug Brumfield was lost to injury during the 2023 season leading to the emergence of Jayden Maiava. Maiava, the 2023 Mountain West Freshman of the Year entered the portal, leaving for USC. Now with Sluka’s departure, Marion has to find solutions to even more questions.
UNLV is set to host Fresno State this week, opening up conference play for the Rebels. They currently sit as one of the favorites to clinch the non-P5 automatic qualifying bid for the College Football Playoffs.
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