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University of Nevada, Las Vegas

There was a lot of drama for the UNLV Rebels football team last week. After a surprising and gutsy upset win over Kansas a couple weeks ago, in which transfer QB Matt Sluka accounted for almost all of the team's production on the game-winning drive, UNLV found itself in the Top-25 coaches' poll for the first time in team history. After decades of 2 or 4-win seasons, it seemed like the sky was finally the limit for the lowly UNLV Rebels. But then, after a bye week before going into conference play, that same QB, Matt Sluka, suddenly announced that he would be redshirting the rest of the season, with the intent of transferring in the offseason. The next day, reports surfaced that transfer running back Michael Allen was also redshirting with the intent to transfer. With just a few days before opening conference play against a fellow championship contender Fresno State, it suddenly looked like UNLV might be imploding.

It's still not entirely clear what happened between Matt Sluka and UNLV. There's a lot of "he said" / "they said", and neither party seems to have anything in writing that proves or corroborates their account of the situation. As best as I can tell from the myriad official statements, articles, and social media posts that I've read, it seems that the best explanation for what happened is that Matt Sluka (and his family and agent) got the impression from primary recruiter (and offensive coordinator) Brennan Marion that UNLV (or its boosters) would be paying Sluka over $100,000 in NIL ("Name, Image, and Likeness") payments. Whether Marion actuall promised that is not publicly known, and only the parties involved actually know what was said.

Matt Sluka is sitting out the rest of the season,
and transferring out of UNLV.

In any case, after a few weeks of winning games, Sluka apparently went to head coach Barry Odom to ask when that money would be paid. Odom apparently said that there would be no money, and Sluka said he wanted off the team.

UNLV and coach Odom insist that Sluka's demands violate the NCAA's rules regarding NIL payments (and state law), and that if Marion had made such a promise, then he did not have the authority to make such a promise.

As for Michael Allen, he insists that his transfer request has nothing to do with money, and that he simply isn't satisfied with his role on the team. Presumably, he expected to be the starting, workhorse running back, and is not happy in his role as a rotational back behind Jai'Den Thomas.

I was very nervous going into that Fresno State game. But at the same time, I was paradoxically relieved and excited. I hadn't been loving Matt Sluka's play, and I felt like UNLV's offense might be better off with a quarterback who can actually complete a pass downfield, which Sluka had struggled to do. Honestly, I was more concerned about Michael Allen leaving, because UNLV's Go-Go offense is contingent on having a deep bench of rotational running backs, and losing a productive running back seems like a more devastating loss than losing a mediocre running quarterback.

But I still couldn't help but wonder: had UNLV's coaches lied to Sluka and Allen in order to get them to transfer? Had they lied to or mislead other players and recruits? Was the entire team on the verge of mutiny? Would any future recruits be willing to sign with UNLV knowing that Odom and his staff might not be entirely honest when recruiting? Was UNLV's turn-around to success over before it had really begun?

Apparently not.

UNLV came out on Saturday afternoon and absolutely destroyed Fresno by a final score of 59-14. UNLV's defense was absolutely suffocating, intercepted Fresno's quarterback multiple times, and never let Fresno think they were in the game. Matt Sluka's replacement, Hajj-Malik Williams played well, throwing for 3 touchdowns, and running for another, and did not give away a single turnover. It turned out that UNLV didn't really need Matt Sluka after all. The team had rallied behind coach Odom and his staff, and around each other.

Hajj-Malik Williams
Photo credit: Steve Marcus, Las Vegas Sun, AP.
Hajj-Malik Williams played great in relief of the departing Matt Sluka.

After the game, the players seemed dismissive of Sluka's demands and complaints. Perhaps Sluka was making unreasonable demands. Or maybe Sluka's agent had misrepresented what Sluka was owed, or what UNLV might be willing to provide? In any case, the attitude with the coaches and remaining players seemed to be "don't let the door hit you on the way out".

Hajj-Malik looked great both throwing the ball and running the ball. He was accurate in his throws, and only made one throw that I thought was a genuinely bad decision (a near pick thrown to Ricky Whit in double coverage). He was composed in the pocket and seemed to know exactly when to stay in the pocket and throw downfield, and when to take off and run. And he also made great decision in the option run game, seemingly knowing exactly when to keep the ball and when to pitch it. I don't know what UNLV's coaches had been seeing in Sluka at practices throughout training camp that made them give him the starting position, but in an actual start, Hajj-Malik looked like the better quarterback.

Uncomfortable questions...

Despite the success on the field, the whole situation does still leave a lot of uncomfortable and awkward questions. Did Brennan Marion actually promise that $100,000 to Matt Sluka? Is this the kind of coaching staff that is willing to blatantly mis-represent the school, its resources, and its depth chart situation in order to get recruits to sign, by any means necessary? Being successful without Sluka, and proving that you never really needed him to begin with, does not justify having potentially lied to him. This kind of controversy can sink a season or a coaching staff. Players won't want to play for a coaching staff that lies to them and refuses to pay them what they are owed. And as a fan and alumni, I don't want such coaches representing my team and alma mater. I really hope that isn't the case.

Matt Sluka has put himself in a precarious position, and I do genuinely feel sorry for him. Regardless of my frustrations with his play-style, I have to fully concede that the guy was playing hard! But now, he has abandoned a team that is 4-0, and one of the favorites for a conference championship and the automatic Group of 5 playoff spot. Honestly, the only team in the Mountain West that looks like it can hold a candle to UNLV right now is Boise State.

But more importantly for Sluka, he may have just tanked his college career and any hopes that he might have had for playing in the NFL. What team is going to want a player who abandoned his team 4 weeks into an undefeated season? What team is going to want Sluka after UNLV seemed to decisively prove that they are better without him? What team is going to want Sluka after UNLV's locker room seems to have so thoroughly turned against him?

If UNLV's coaches had, indeed lied to Matt Sluka, and then successfully turned the entire locker room and media against the kid, that is just plain awful. I really hope this is a case of a genuine misunderstanding, and of Matt Sluka just shooting himself in the foot.

We may never know what actually happened. There's a lot of "ifs" in all of this. So in the meantime, in lieu of any further controversy, I'm going to continue to ride high on the most successful year-and-a-half (and counting) that this team has ever had.

UNLV not UNILV
Photo credit: Daniel Jacobi II, Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Sluka may have a hard time finding a new team that wants him after abandoning UNLV.

This whole situation underscores how poorly thought-out all the NIL rules are for the NCAA. I think that anybody could have warned the NCAA that stuff like this would happen. There just aren't very good rules and regulations for what teams can offer to prospects and players, nor is there much (if any) accountability or enforcement mechanisms if teams or players break what few rules do exist. This needs to change, and it needs to change fast!

There needs to be more transparency regarding how players are paid, where the money comes from, and how much a team has available to pay. And all the players need to be made much more aware of what their rights and expectations should be. And there needs to be enforcement mechanisms for teams that cheat the rules. Cheating happened before NIL, you bet it's going to happen after!

And most importantly, for all future college prospects who might be in a situation like Matt Sluka's in the future: before you sign any papers committing to play for a school, you better make sure that you have all the school's financial promises and commitments in writing as well. And if the money comes from third parties, then you need to make sure that those 3rd parties have given you written and signed commitments before you sign anything with the school. Don't take any coach or recruiter's word for anything. We're in the Wild West of collegiate athlete pay, and a lot of people are going to get burned. Don't let yourself be one of them!

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