Agent: UNLV QB Matthew Sluka verbally promised $100K
UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka was verbally promised a minimum of $100,000 during his recruitment but only saw a $3,000 relocation fee, his agent Marcus Cromartie of Equity Sports told On3.
On Tuesday night, the former Holy Cross transfer quarterback announced he was stepping away from the program and redshirting because representations “were not upheld” after he enrolled. Sluka has been represented by Equity since January. Sluka announced he would attend UNLV on Jan. 16 but did not enroll until the summer.
He is now entering the transfer portal.
According to Cromartie, the quarterback was set to receive a contract when he enrolled this past summer but “it didn’t happen.” Blueprint Sports, which manages UNLV’s Friends of Unilv NIL collective, confirmed to On3 that there was never a $100,000 contract extended.
“When I had the conversation with the offensive assistant who was doing Matt’s recruitment, we talked about a number north of $100,000 to $150,000,” Cromartie said. “This was a number that I was told would be given to Matt to come there.”
When Sluka still did not have a deal midway through training camp, according to Cromartie, he reached back out to UNLV to reopen negotiations.
“I reached out to the coaches halfway through camp,” he said. “I reached out politely, ‘Hey, I understand you guys are midway through camp. It’s a quarterback competition, but the NIL agreement hasn’t been sent out. Can we speak on this?’
“Nothing was said back for a couple of weeks ago. I approached them again. I said, ‘Hey, you know what’s going on?’ I even offered to meet them halfway. I said, ‘I understand that trying to get $100,000 within the next four months may be hard, but can we get him $10,000 a month?’ They said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘How about $5,000?’ They came back with, ‘We can give them $3,000 a month for the next four months. Take it or leave it.'”
Chris Cabott, the CEO of Equity Sports, told On3 that there was an understanding the school would not be able to extend a contract to Sluka until he enrolled.
“At the end of the day, we know a school can’t give a player a contract until he is enrolled,” Cabott said.
The quarterback has completed 21 of 48 passes for 318 yards, six touchdowns and an interception in three games. He’s also rushed for 286 yards on 39 carries with a score. UNLV is coming off its bye week and is set to host Fresno State on Saturday. The Rebels have won three games to start a season for the first time since 1984. They’re ranked No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, their first appearance in one of the two major polls since moving to Division I in 1978.
On3 has reached out to Odom and Friends of Unilv for comment on the situation.
“To clarify, there were no formal NIL offers made during Mr. Sluka’s recruitment process,” the collective told On3 in a statement. “Additionally, Friends of UNILV did not finalize or agree to any NIL offers while he was part of the team, aside from a completed community engagement event over the summer.”
Cromartie said he approached the program roughly two weeks ago to engage in conversations with the NIL collective and head coach Barry Odom. Cromartie said UNLV and the collective “aren’t working on the same page.”
“The conversations were professional, but they weren’t getting anywhere,” said Cromartie, a former Wisconsin cornerback. “It was a take-it-or-leave-it situation. It wasn’t a conversation that was repeatedly happening. It was like, ‘Hey this is what you guys promise. Can we at least get him this? Can we level up a little bit to this?’ Obviously, he’s your leading passer and rusher. I don’t feel like we’re asking for too much.”
Sluka came up big for UNLV in its 23-20 win at Kansas, rushing for 113 yards and leading a 75-yard, game-winning drive. During his time at Holy Cross, Sluka was one of the top quarterbacks at the FCS level, finishing second with 3,583 career rushing yards and fifth with 5,916 career passing yards.
The Rebels are in the 12-team College Football Playoff conversation but won’t have Sluka at quarterback for the remainder of the season. He will shift his focus to preparing for the 2025 college football season.
“He gets the opportunity to enroll at a program in January,” Cromartie said. “Work with them [new team] all spring, working with the receivers all spring, all summer, and just set him up better. NFL wise as well, and also getting a situation where clarity and transparency is key.”