Former FCS Star QB Opting to Sit Out Remainder of UNLV Season

NIL continues to shake up the college athletics landscape. While players sometimes do indeed find greener pastures, not every situation turns up aces.

That is the case apparently for Matthew Sluka, who starred at FCS Holy Cross before transferring this offseason to UNLV.

Sluka and the Rebels were out to a strong start this season, including wins at Houston and Kansas in a 3-0 start.

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Late Tuesday, Sluka announced that his season was coming to an end:

UNLV starting quarterback Matthew Sluka said he will not play any more games this season for the undefeated Rebels, citing "certain representations" not being upheld by the program.

 

Sluka announced his decision in a social media post late Tuesday night and added that he will use his redshirt this year.

 

"I committed to UNLV based on certain representations that were made to me, which were not upheld after I enrolled," Sluka posted on X. "Despite discussions, it became clear that these commitments would not be fulfilled in the future. I wish my teammates the best of luck this season and hope for the continued success of the program.

 

Sluka did not detail the reasons behind his decision, but college athletes are now routinely being paid for their name, image and likeness by companies or third-party organizations called collectives, which serve a particular school's athletes.

 

NCAA redshirt rules allow players to retain a year of eligibility if they play four or fewer games in a season. Sluka, who played four seasons (2020-23) at Holy Cross before transferring to UNLV this past offseason, still has one more year of eligibility that he could use at another school next season.

It's a tough look for the Rebel program that was off to such a promising start.

Sluka will likely land elsewhere for his next stop of his collegiate career:

Sluka spent the first four years of his college career at FCS program Holy Cross, where he is first in career pass efficiency (147.4), second in career rushing yards (3,583), second in career rushing touchdowns (38), fifth in career passing yards (5,916) and fifth in career passing touchdowns (59). He rushed for an NCAA Division I quarterback record 330 yards in a loss to Lafayette in 2023.

 

Holy Cross reached the FCS playoffs in 2021 and 2022 with Sluka as the starter. After a coaching change at Holy Cross -- head coach Bob Chesney left to take over at James Madison -- Sluka also moved on.

UNLV plays host to Fresno State this weekend, a 12:30 PT start from Allegiant Stadium.

Source: ESPN.com