UNLV QB Matt Sluka cites “commitments… fulfilled” as he announces he will not play for the rest of the year
The sport of college football is changing quickly around us. NIL and the transfer portal, combined with free transfers, are all doing their part to shift the complexion of the sport that we know and love in sometimes very stark ways.
Another benchmark in this shift occurred late last night—strangely enough, it came from little UNLV. Barry Odom’s squad out in Sin City has put together a strong start to the season, sitting at 3-0 with wins over two Big 12 teams.
Given that the new 12-team playoff involves an automatic bid for the highest-ranked Group of Five champion, this means that UNLV is, believe it or not, a solid contender for a playoff spot. With two wins like that already on their resume, if they can navigate the MWC schedule well, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them nab that final spot in the 12-team field.
However, they just suffered a setback… and a very strange one. QB Matt Sluka released the following statement last night.
https://x.com/Brett_McMurphy/status/1838804456143524091
Sluka is not specific in what he is referencing, but it’s not a crazy leap to think he may be speaking about NIL-related commitments. Even though pay-for-play is out of bounds according to current NCAA rules, it’s no secret that most schools indicate to recruits the type of deals they may be getting if they commit.
Given his wording, then, it seems that it may be the case that NIL was promised to him and not delivered upon—and, in response, he is deciding to “hold out.” Of course, the end seems to indicate that he intends to enter the portal once that opens as well.
This is a pretty wild story, and simply another indicator that the sport needs some other kind of regulation surrounding what have essentially become contracts for players. Will the new revenue sharing model help with some of this craziness? I would bet that it will come with its own set of problems. The point stands, though, that something has to be done.