UNLV Quarterback Redshirts Due to “Unfulfilled Commitments”
@MatthewSluka on X
By Tucker Harlin
The UNLV football program is on one of its best runs history.
The Running Rebels finished 9-5 and made an appearance in the Mountain West championship in 2023. You have to go back to the program’s infancy to find a more successful season, the 11-2 season in 1984 when it played in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association.
Barry Odom’s bunch is tracking to keep the run alive, starting the 2024 season 3-0 with wins over Big 12 foes Houston and Kansas.
But an obstacle has come out to hinder the Rebels’ generational run.
Quarterback Matthew Sluka announced he would use his redshirt Tuesday and miss the remainder of the season. Sluka transferred in from Holy Cross to fill in for Jayden Maiava, who transferred to UNLV.
What did Sluka injure you ask? Nothing.
Sluka released this statement:
— Matthew Sluka (@MatthewSluka) September 25, 2024
In the statement, Sluka says he “committed to UNLV based on certain representations” that were made to him and weren’t upheld. Sluka felt said representations would never come to fulfillment, so he decided to use his redshirt.
“Certain representations” sounds indicative of NIL promises, something we’ve never knowingly seen a player miss an entire season for.
We see holdouts over contract disputes in NFL training camps in a minimum of three organizations every year, but these disputes never tend to linger into the regular season.
There are two sides of the coin to consider in this case.
On UNLV’s end, you obviously shouldn’t make promises to players you can’t keep. There’s an ongoing lawsuit between Jaden Rashada and the University of Florida over that very issue right now.
On the other hand, what Sluka is doing is something college football fans should hope doesn’t catch on in the rest of the landscape.
Think about how many recent Heismans have been products of the transfer portal. Can you imagine if Jayden Daniels or Caleb Williams decided to opt out of the remaining nine games of the season because LSU or USC wasn’t paying him what was promised?
The Rebels begin conference play this weekend against Fresno State in Las Vegas. Campbell transfer Hajj-Malik Williams will presumably get the start at quarterback.
