UNLV didn’t pay – and now the Rebels are paying the price.
Quarterback Matt Sluka’s father and a NIL representative claim that UNLV tried to cheat him out of $88,000 of his planned six-figure contract, leading to his shocking departure from the program.
Sluka had helped lead UNLV to a 3-0 start after transferring from Holy Cross in the offseason.
“We have no idea what the hell happened,” Bob Sluka, Matt’s father, told ESPN.
Sluka shocked the college football community late Tuesday when he announced he would leave the program midseason.
He wrote that he would use his redshirt year after “certain commitments” failed to materialize and it became “clear” that this would not be the case in the future.
Sluka’s NIL representative, Marcus Cromartie of Equity Sport, told ESPN that his client was verbally promised at least $100,000 through a UNLV assistant coach to come to the school.
Both Cromartie and Bob told ESPN that Sluka did not receive any of that money, but Cromartie noted that the quarterback received a $3,000 relocation stipend.
Cromartie further stated that UNLV’s NIL collective made “no effort” to complete the contract after the quarterback enrolled at the school.
The collective eventually countered with an offer of $3,000 per month for four months, which was $88,000 less than the originally proposed amount of $100,000.
Cromartie and Bob both said that, as 247 Sports reported, Sluka did not ask for more money after leading the program to an undefeated start, but only took the money he was offered.
Sluka ultimately decided to leave school, and ESPN reported that he would now be able to find a new school and participate in their spring program, something he was unable to do at UNLV.
The quarterback had thrown for 318 yards and scored six touchdowns, while rushing for 253 yards and one touchdown on 39 carries.
UNLV now has to rush to find its starting quarterback for Saturday’s home game against Fresno State, and the Rebels have gone from favorite to 1.5-point underdog on FanDuel.
