The Bobcat Nation

Former Holy Cross QB Matt Sluka transferred last year to UNLV and was promised a large amount of NIL money. UNLV has had a great start to their season, and now Sluka is claiming that UNLV has not delivered on the NIL he was promised. And he has left the team, preserving his final year of eligibility:


However, others are claiming that Sluka received everything he was promised but has decided (along with his agent) that he is now worth even more money and is leaving UNLV in hopes of cashing in at another school next year.


Hard to know yet who is telling the truth, but what a !@#$%@ mess college football is becoming.

Without contracts, this is likely to become more common in the future. It's also a valuable learning experience for those involved in NIL organizations and for players who are promised or receive NIL funds.

Maybe he is looking to go to QB U to the west

Statement from UNLV basically covering their butts per NCAA pay- for- play rules.

Football player Matthew Sluka’s representative made financial demands upon the University and its NIL collective in order to continue playing. UNLV Athletics interpreted these demands as a violation of the NCAA pay-for-play rules, as well as Nevada state law. UNLV does not engage in such activity, nor does it respond to implied threats. UNLV has honored all previously agreed-upon scholarships for Matthew Sluka. UNLV has conducted its due diligence and will continue to operate its programs within the framework of NCAA rules and regulations, as well as Nevada state laws.

UNLV Athletics

https://www.fox5vegas.com/2024/09/25/un ... WeimPFh1IQ

He’s completing 43% of his passes, passes for 106 yards/game, rushes for less than 100 yards/game, and has only accounted for 7 TDs in 3 games. He’s not even an average QB.

Who is going to pay big money for this guy?

Will be interesting to see if this guy gets blacklisted in the portal

PapaG wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 25, 2024 8:44 pm

He’s completing 43% of his passes, passes for 106 yards/tame, rushes for less than 100 yards/game, and has only accounted for 7 TDs in 3 games. He’s not even an average QB.

Who is going to pay big money for this guy?

I thought his rushing stats were pretty impressive (39-286-1 with 6.5ypc which is net of 33 sack yards) but he does seem mediocre as an actual QB. Definitely not enough to allegedly think he's earned more NIL money but good for a QB on a new team that he joined in fall camp.

He played well enough at Holy Cross to earn a spot on an FBS team and I'm sure some middling G5 school will snap him up based on his 3 game season this year.

RICO CAT wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 25, 2024 9:24 pm

Will be interesting to see if this guy gets blacklisted in the portal

More likely his options will just be teams worse than UNLV based on performance. Although his rushing stats were ok, his passing stats were laughable. There will be a few bad teams out there with the belief that is they can make him happy, he can make them happy.

coloradocat wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 25, 2024 9:44 pm

PapaG wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 25, 2024 8:44 pm

He’s completing 43% of his passes, passes for 106 yards/tame, rushes for less than 100 yards/game, and has only accounted for 7 TDs in 3 games. He’s not even an average QB.

Who is going to pay big money for this guy?

I thought his rushing stats were pretty impressive (39-286-1 with 6.5ypc which is net of 33 sack yards) but he does seem mediocre as an actual QB. Definitely not enough to allegedly think he's earned more NIL money but good for a QB on a new team that he joined in fall camp.

He played well enough at Holy Cross to earn a spot on an FBS team and I'm sure some middling G5 school will snap him up based on his 3 game season this year.

He’s basically a running back playing QB, and he had one big rushing game against Kansas. 4 of his 7 total TDs were against Utah Tech, which also accounted for over half of his passing yards. Tommy had a better game against them in efficiency and had 3 total TDs.

The blacklist idea is interesting, because this guy doesn’t seem to be good enough to be making these demands.

Why does he have an agent? That’s just weird. Hoping it’s a family member helping out, because paying someone to try and scrounge up $100,000 seems unnecessary.

RICO CAT wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 25, 2024 9:24 pm

Will be interesting to see if this guy gets blacklisted in the portal

Makes you also wonder the same about UNLV. Both sides come out looking shady.

I remember watching him with Holy Cross. He could physically dominate many poorer FCS teams, but it’s not a game that translates well to big-boy football. The four-game redshirt rule, which has seemed generally successful in reducing uncertainty in the redshirt process, has now been used for a nefarious, and totally pecuniary, purpose. Crazy. I’m 110% committed, thrilled to play for the Rebels! So after three games, walk away because your demands for additional compensation were denied. A good reason not to hire this guy for dog-catcher. He’s put a questionable NFL career in complete jeopardy for a fake “NIL” payment that wouldn’t have been big money at all. Why not play well, try to make the NFL? Maybe felt this was the last gasp grab to make any money playing football. This makes me almost nauseous.

NCAA is gonna have to go full NFL with contracts and CBA. This is professional football and should be treated as such.

I'd like to see the redshirt rule modified to where if you don't use it in the first 2 years of college it expires. After that you can get an extra year due to injury but not for free agency purposes.

coloradocat wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 27, 2024 7:22 pm

I'd like to see the redshirt rule modified to where if you don't use it in the first 2 years of college it expires. After that you can get an extra year due to injury but not for free agency purposes.

Not sure I agree with that, but I do suspect they may look at the 4-game rule that allows a player to play a third of the season and then decide to bail if he's not getting enough playing time or NIL money.

MSU01 wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 28, 2024 7:23 pm

coloradocat wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 27, 2024 7:22 pm

I'd like to see the redshirt rule modified to where if you don't use it in the first 2 years of college it expires. After that you can get an extra year due to injury but not for free agency purposes.

Not sure I agree with that, but I do suspect they may look at the 4-game rule that allows a player to play a third of the season and then decide to bail if he's not getting enough playing time or NIL money.

I can't think of a legitimate reason for a senior or a grad student to (non-medical) red shirt.

Apparently UNLV didn’t miss him today. 4-0 with a 59-14 win over Fresno State.

RICO CAT wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 28, 2024 9:53 pm

Apparently UNLV didn’t miss him today. 4-0 with a 59-14 win over Fresno State.

Very impressive win...

After the UNLV win last night, the UNLV wide receiver was interviewed. A casino had offered $100,000 for Sluka to stay but it did not happen. Last night in the post game interview, the WR asked for the casino to pay that $100,00 to the OFFENSIVE LINE! He said they deserve it! How awesome is that!

coloradocat wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 28, 2024 7:28 pm

MSU01 wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 28, 2024 7:23 pm

coloradocat wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 27, 2024 7:22 pm

I'd like to see the redshirt rule modified to where if you don't use it in the first 2 years of college it expires. After that you can get an extra year due to injury but not for free agency purposes.

Not sure I agree with that, but I do suspect they may look at the 4-game rule that allows a player to play a third of the season and then decide to bail if he's not getting enough playing time or NIL money.

I can't think of a legitimate reason for a senior or a grad student to (non-medical) red shirt.

I was under the impression that the "medical redshirt" designation doesn't apply unless the player has already used their normal redshirt earlier in their career. So if a guy plays three years without redshirting and then suffers a season ending injury in fall camp of his senior season, then he'd be using the normal redshirt to get another year of eligibility. I don't see any issue with a player using their normal redshirt at any time, at least up until they graduate. It would potentially make sense to not allow it for grad transfers since they've already got what they ostensibly started college for in the first place.

MSU01 wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 29, 2024 7:09 pm

coloradocat wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 28, 2024 7:28 pm

MSU01 wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 28, 2024 7:23 pm

coloradocat wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 27, 2024 7:22 pm

I'd like to see the redshirt rule modified to where if you don't use it in the first 2 years of college it expires. After that you can get an extra year due to injury but not for free agency purposes.

Not sure I agree with that, but I do suspect they may look at the 4-game rule that allows a player to play a third of the season and then decide to bail if he's not getting enough playing time or NIL money.

I can't think of a legitimate reason for a senior or a grad student to (non-medical) red shirt.

I was under the impression that the "medical redshirt" designation doesn't apply unless the player has already used their normal redshirt earlier in their career. So if a guy plays three years without redshirting and then suffers a season ending injury in fall camp of his senior season, then he'd be using the normal redshirt to get another year of eligibility. I don't see any issue with a player using their normal redshirt at any time, at least up until they graduate. It would potentially make sense to not allow it for grad transfers since they've already got what they ostensibly started college for in the first place.

I guess that would be another aspect of my rule change. Medical redshirts can be used at any time but non-medicals can only be used in the first two years. Essentially, if you are redshirting after your second year it's not for development, which is the purpose of the redshirt, so you can't do it unless you have a season ending injury. Teams would still probably abuse this rule by declaring a player "injured" but it would at least call attention to the issue.

Do you think there is a legitimate, non-medical, reason for redshirting after playing two seasons? Maybe I just haven't considered something but it feels more like an abuse of the rules than anything else.