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Undefeated UNLV QB Swindled Out Of $100K Signs With New Team After Failure To Land P4 Payday

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QB Matt Sluka runs the ball for UNLV.

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Former UNLV quarterback Matt Sluka has signed with a new team. The college football passer will suit up for James Madison in the 2025 season.

That expects to be his last at the NCAA level, though as we saw with his recent history, things can always change. The news broke Tuesday of his offseason signing.

Sluka started his career at Holy Cross where he blossomed into a star. He planned to finish his career out at UNLV, signing with the Rebels ahead of his senior year. The marriage appeared to be beneficial to both sides after a 3-0 start. Controversy quickly followed.

Sluka announced his intentions to redshirt as he pulled himself out of the starting lineup to preserve eligibility. NIL promises were at the root of the issue, with his camp claiming that he’d been swindled out of nearly $100k.

The school refuted the supposed NIL promise. It’s unclear whether Sluka’s agent was able to get terms in writing prior to his commitment.

Whatever the case, the relationship soured. Sluka didn’t play another snap for the Rebels, who finished 11-3. Now, he’ll head across the country to finish out that final season.

Matt Sluka has signed with James Madison.

The passer will remain at the Group of Five level after his time in the portal. Terms of his agreement with the Dukes are not known at this point in time.

Unfortunately, he failed to land much interest at the Power 4 level despite being a notable name in the transfer market. His initial attention came from schools in the MAC, according to CBS Sports.

The transfer portal will not formally open until Dec. 9, but Sluka has not been a hot name early. A source told 247Sports that Sluka has received some MAC interest, but nothing in the power-conference range yet. His stock will get more tenuous as more talented passers enter the portal.

He’d hope that interest would grow when the portal officially opened. That never came to fruition. Brad Crawford wrote on Sluka’s lack of P4 prospects this week.

The only uncommitted quarterback left on the board inside the top 200 players available, Matthew Sluka stepped away from UNLV in September and declared a redshirt with intention to enter the transfer portal. He was unhappy with his NIL situation, reportedly. The Runnin’ Rebels were off to their best start in more than 25 years before their starting signal caller surprisingly shut things down. There hasn’t been much Power 4 interest in Sluka.

The reason for that lack of interest is unclear. Did the redshirt decision play a role or was it strictly related to on-field ability? Whatever the case, Matt Sluka will look to prove his doubters wrong when he suits up for James Madison next fall.