It's high times at UNLV, where head coach Barry Odom has the Rebels off to a 3-0 start with wins over Houston and Kansas. They're on the verge of the Top 25 with a home game versus Fresno State on tap for Saturday, 12:30 P.M. Pacific on FS1.
Off the field, however, there have been some nasty distractions. On Tuesday night quarterback Matthew Sluka announced he was redshirting and entering the transfer portal because the UNLV NIL collective had not kept its promises to him. Sluka, his agent and family maintained that coaches verbally promised him $100,000 to transfer from Holy Cross. As yet he'd received just $3000 to defray moving expenses.
The collective and the Nevada Las Vegas Athletic Department issued statements to say there had been no written agreement, implying that Sluka was holding up the program for more money after the school's 3-0 start. Although the 6-3, 215 dual threat quarterback had only completed 43% of his passes, he'd thrown for 318 yards and 6 touchdowns, rushed for a team-leading 253 yards and a touchdown.
Hajj-Malik Williams, a transfer from the Campbell University Fighting Camels in Buies Creek, North Carolina, takes over at quarterback. In five years at the FCS school the 6-1, 205 6th-year senior set school records in passing yards (8,326) and touchdowns (58). He also ran for 1,600 yards and 24 touchdowns. In 2023, Williams threw for a school-record 2,597 yards and 19 touchdowns while completing 70% of his passes.
With the Rebels Williams has been a part-time player while Sluka started: He hasn't thrown a pass, but he's rushed for 88 yards on 10 carries, all in a Game Two win over Utah Tech.
Here's the hypocrisy part. UNLV, their coaches and the collective had only a verbal agreement with Sluka because in the absence of clear NCAA rules and guidelines about NIL, verbal agreements are safer, less to enforce, less of a paper trail. So the dispute becomes a he said/they said.
What's more, at the same time the school, the staff and the collective were reneging on their commitment to Sluka, or at least balking on transparency, they were negotiating between their existing conference and a potential move to the PAC-12.
Today the Mountain West announced that UNLV and Air Force would receive signing bonuses of $25 million to stay in the league, with the money coming out of exit fees from departing members Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego and Colorado State, who are leaving for the PAC-12.
Apparently it's okay for programs to negotiate and renegotiate deals for millions, but a player who wants to maximize his value is a greedy cur.
On the field, the Rebel squad is fighting for a playoff berth. The move to Williams may cause them to rally together, and his FCS stats suggest he's more accurate. On the Rebel coaches show Wednesday night head coach Barry Odom said, “We all know we had a roster change at QB. We’re certainly excited about the two we have trained for this moment and their opportunity to run this offense.”
NCAA football desperately needs written agreements, public records and clear standards. As it is, the process had more integrity in the days of bagmen and cash in McDonalds sacks.
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