Father Of UNLV QB Matt Sluka Claims Son Hasn’t Received NIL Payments

In a move that perfectly encapsulates the world of college football in 2024, UNLV starting quarterback Matt Sluka has decided that he will no longer play for the Rebels this season due to what he says are off-the-field promises that were not being upheld. 

While nothing is stunning in this new era of college football, what makes Sluka’s decision really interesting is that UNLV is 3-0 this season and is very much considered a dark horse to make the College Football Playoff as a non-Power Five program.

“I committed to UNLV based on certain representations that were made to me, which were not upheld after I enrolled,” Sluka wrote in his surprise announcement on social media. “Despite discussions, it became clear 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.”

Sluka announced that he will be taking a redshirt year. If he were to have played this weekend against Fresno State, he would not have been eligible to transfer to another school. 

According to reports, Sluka hired an agent after the team’s 2-0 start to the year and has since been approached with offers that would lead to more money for the quarterback. 

While Sluka did not use the words ‘money’ or ‘NIL’ in his announcement, his father, Bob Sluka, isn’t being as generic with his accusations towards UNLV’s NIL collective. 

He told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg that Sluka had an agent prior to the season, and they had “agreed to an NIL deal with the school back in February, never received payments despite requests and never asked for any adjustments to the original deal.”

Bob claimed that his son’s living expenses weren’t even covered.

Bob also went on to claim that during a call involving Sluka’s agent on September 19, less than a week after the Rebels improved to 3-0 with a road win over Kansas, his agent told him that UNLV would not pay anything other than his $3,000 relocation cost. Sluka transferred from Holy Cross to UNLV ahead of this season.

Marcus Cromartie of Equity Sports, who represents Sluka on the NIL front, told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that the QB was verbally promised a minimum of $100,000 by a UNLV assistant to transfer to the program, but “none of that money was paid.”

A verbal promise and a written and signed agreement are, of course, two very different things.

It’s very much worth pointing out that, while these claims from Sluka’s father and agents may represent exactly what happened, this is only one side of the story. At this time, UNLV and head football coach Barry Odom have yet to address the situation or share any details about what may or may not have happened with Sluka and any type of NIL deal.

Speaking of Odom, this not only puts him in a tough spot on the field seeing as how he just lost his starting quarterback, but he’ll have to treat the situation very carefully off the field to not put the NCAA on an even higher alert given the ‘Pay For Play’ rules in college sports.