UNLV QB’s decision to redshirt over NIL dispute could set trend

Matthew Sluka’s stunning departure from the UNLV football team over a name, image and likeness dispute appears to be unprecedented in college football and could set a trend for future players.

The quarterback announced on social media Tuesday night that he was leaving the program and intended to utilize his redshirt to preserve his final season of eligibility. He cited “certain representations that were made to me, which were not upheld” as a reason for stepping away.

Sluka, a transfer from Holy Cross, led the Rebels to a 3-0 start. UNLV is ranked in the USA Today coaches poll for the first time in the program’s history and hosts Fresno State (3-1) on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium in its Mountain West opener.

UNLV’s NIL collective denied his claims in a statement on Wednesday.

In recent years, college football has seen numerous players redshirt during the season to save a year of their eligibility and then enter the transfer portal. The most high-profile example may have come in 2019 when Houston quarterback D’Eriq King ended his season after four games and entered the transfer portal. Football players are allowed to play up to four games and still redshirt.

But King’s move came before the NCAA allowed student-athletes to profit from NIL compensation.

This season has already seen a handful of players announce midseason that they intended to transfer, presumably because of a lack of playing time. None have been publicly revealed as the result of NIL issues similar to the ones Sluka cited.

The closest example to Sluka’s situation appears to be the saga of current Georgia quarterback Jaden Rashada. In 2022, Rashada was committed to Miami (Florida) and flipped to Florida on the promise of an NIL deal worth more than $13 million. But the deal fell through, and Rashada landed at Arizona State for the 2023 season before he transferred to Georgia.

Rashada filed a lawsuit in May alleging Gators coach Billy Napier, a booster and others associated with Florida defrauded him by backing out of the agreement.

There is also at least one report of college football players wanting to renegotiate NIL deals prior to a bowl game. In an upcoming book titled “The Price: What It Takes to Win in College Football’s Era of Chaos,” co-authors John Talty of CBS Sports.com and Armen Keteyian wrote that Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa and two other players went to coach Mike Locksley requesting $50,000 each to play in the 2022 Mayo Bowl.

Tagovailoa played in the game and threw for 221 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the Terrapins’ 16-12 victory over North Carolina State.

This is the second time in less than a year UNLV has lost its quarterback over a NIL deal. Jayden Maiava transferred to USC and is the Trojans’ backup quarterback after he originally committed to Georgia.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on X.