The drama between the UNLV football program and starting quarterback Matthew Sluka has quickly turned into a classic case of “he said, she said.”
Sluka announced in a statement on Wednesday that he will not play for UNLV for the remainder of the season to maintain his redshirt eligibility. The senior said the decision was the result of UNLV not following through on commitments that were made when he agreed to transfer to Las Vegas from FCS school Holy Cross prior to the season.
According to Sluka’s agent, a UNLV coach who recruited Sluka promised that the quarterback would earn a minimum of $100,000 by playing for the Rebels. The school supposedly went back on that agreement and said Sluka was only going to be paid $3,000 per month.
UNLV’s NIL collective is operated by an agency called Blueprint Sports. Rob Sine, who is the CEO of the company, told Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports on Wednesday that there was never any agreement to pay Sluka $100,000. Sluka’s agent, Marcus Cromarite of Equity Sports, responded by reiterating that UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion made the offer when Marion recruited Sluka.
Matthew Sluka’s agent, Marcus Cromartie, confirms to @YahooSports that "nothing was signed" but that coaches promised $100,000 to Sluka during recruitment.
Sluka’s recruiter was UNLV OC Brennan Marion.
Cromartie: "The collective may not have agreed to $100,000 but coaches did"
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 25, 2024
Cromartie did not rule out Sluka returning to UNLV, saying that is up to head coach Barry Odom but that “$3,000 a month for the next four months just isn’t fair.” As of Wednesday afternoon, Sluka’s bio had been removed from the official UNLV Football page:
https://twitter.com/PaoloUggetti/status/1838984627806945341
Sluka has gone 21/48 for 318 yards, 6 touchdowns and an interception through three games. He also has 39 rushes for 286 yards and a touchdown. UNLV is off to a 3-0 start that includes big road wins over Kansas and Houston.
The Rebels have positioned themselves to be one of the teams from the Group of Five conferences to earn a spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, but a new quarterback will now have to step up for them.
