Now it's official. Quarterback Matthew Sluka is hitting the transfer portal.
As On3's Dan Morrison reports, this officially marks the end of his time with the UNLV Rebels, but Sluka had unofficially bailed on his team much earlier in the season when he decided to walk away from the program due to a dispute over NIL guarantees.
He was reportedly offered $100,000 from offensive coordinator Brennan Marion to come to UNLV from Holy Cross in the offseason. That was a verbal offer that UNLV didn't honor because no formal offer had come from head coach Barry Odom or UNLV's NIL collective.
Sluka's agent informed UNLV that he was going to sit out until this payment was made, to which the Rebels responded, no.
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. UNLV does not engage in such activity, nor does it respond to implied threats," UNLV wrote in a statement. "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."
“UNLV Athletics interpreted these demands as a violation of the NCAA pay-for-play rules, as well as Nevada state law. UNLV does not engage in such activity, nor does it respond to implied threat” pic.twitter.com/tfDU4QzWbK
— Kyle Bonagura (@BonaguraESPN) September 25, 2024
Now, Sluka will try to find a new program to offer him the money he wants, and it's worth noting that he should have some suitors.
He threw for 318 yards and six touchdowns in three games for UNLV and also added 253 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
247Sports ranked Sluka as the second-best player in the transfer portal, so it will be interested to see which schools line up for his services.
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