After leading his team to a 3-0 start, UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka announced late Tuesday night that he will no longer play for the Rebels due to promises made surrounding his NIL compensation that went unfulfilled.

Sluka, a transfer from Holy Cross, plans to sit out the remainder of the season as a redshirt and re-enter the transfer portal in December. His sudden decision raises questions about the nature of his financial agreement with UNLV, how the deal fell apart and who is ultimately responsible for an undefeated team losing its top quarterback.

Here’s what you need to know as this story continues to develop:

Who is Matthew Sluka?

Sluka joined UNLV this summer after a decorated career at the FCS level at Holy Cross. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound senior was a three-year starter and two-time finalist for the Walter Payton Award, which goes to the top offensive player in the FCS. Sluka earned Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2023 after producing 1,728 passing yards and 1,247 rushing yards with 29 total touchdowns.

At the end of the season, Holy Cross coach Bob Chesney and his staff left to acquire James Madison, and Sluka opted to test his options in the transfer portal. UNLV acquired him after losing starting quarterback Jayden Maiava, the Mountain West Freshman of the Year, to USC.

Through three games, Sluka led all Mountain West quarterbacks in rushing yards per game with 253 total rushing yards. He threw for 318 yards with seven total touchdowns and one turnover while leading a Rebels offense that ranks fifth in FBS in rushing.

How is UNLV performing this season?

After an impressive 9-5 debut season, coach Barry Odom has the Rebels in contention for a bid in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. UNLV is off to a 3-0 start with surprise road wins over Big 12 programs Houston and Kansas. Sluka was the driving force behind the team’s Sept. 13 victory over the Jayhawks, posting a team-high 124 rushing yards on 19 carries plus 86 passing yards and a touchdown.

The Rebels rose to No. 23 in the coaches poll this week after their inactive week. UNLV and Boise State have become popular picks to earn a spot in the inaugural expanded playoff. If the Rebels win the Mountain West, they have a strong chance to earn the bid.

What we know about Sluka’s departure

Marcus Cromartie of Equity Sports, who represents Sluka’s NIL, told ESPN that Sluka is leaving the program after he was verbally promised a minimum of $100,000 by a UNLV coach, but only received $3,000.

His father, Bob Sluka, told ESPN that they had a verbal agreement with UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion for what they felt was a “fair, honest amount,” even though it was far less than what the Power 4 programs were offering. However, payments were repeatedly delayed and no attempt was made to formalize a contract with their collective for that amount.

After UNLV’s win over Kansas, Bob Sluka said that Odom and Cromartie spoke on September 19 and the head coach refused to uphold the agreement, instead offering $3,000 for moving expenses and claiming the offer was invalid because it did not come from him. Sluka’s camp maintains that they never went to Odom to ask for more money, only what they were promised up front. Marion declined to comment to ESPN.

Rob Sine of Blueprint Sports, the company that manages UNLV’s collective, confirmed to ESPN that Sluka did not have a written agreement with the collective and said the collective was not aware of any promises to pay Sluka $100,000. Sine also confirmed that Sluka received one payment of $3,000.

In a statement, UNLV said Sluka’s representatives made financial demands to keep playing, which the athletic department interpreted as a violation of NCAA pay-for-play rules and Nevada law. “UNLV does not participate in such activities, nor does it respond to implied threats,” the school said in the statement.

How can Sluka leave during the season?

College football players can’t enter the transfer portal at this time, but they can leave a program at any time. The NCAA transfer portal doesn’t open until Dec. 9, the Monday after the conference championship games. Sluka can’t enter his name in the portal until then, and he can’t join another team to play in 2024.

The decision Sluka made is not uncommon in the world of transfer recruiting. Every year, many players decide to transfer due to disagreements over NIL value and payments, and there were several cases of players re-entering the transfer portal this spring to get more money from another school.

Financial issues aside, his motivation for leaving now is to take advantage of the four-game redshirt rule and play one more college season in 2025.

What is the redshirt rule?

College football players can gain an extra season of eligibility if they play in four or fewer games in a year and take a redshirt season. The rule was put in place in 2018 and has traditionally been intended for younger players who play limited snaps as a reserve. The NCAA is currently considering extending that four-game maximum to exempt conference title, bowl and College Football Playoff games. Sluka played four seasons at Holy Cross and did not take advantage of a redshirt year. Because he began his career in 2020 during COVID-19, he would be eligible to take advantage of an extra season of eligibility in 2024. Taking a redshirt season would allow him to play in 2025.

Are these types of NIL disputes common?

Issues like this happen all the time, but rarely go public. Quarterback Jaden Rashada suing Florida coach Billy Napier and others over a failed $13.85 million deal is by far the most high-profile example of a player trying to hold a school accountable for broken promises, but these issues are common in a market where NIL odds can often be overstated during the recruiting process.

The deals players make with school NIL collectives are not binding employment contracts. Players and their families or representatives demanding more money from a collective than originally agreed upon is common, especially when they receive better offers from other programs. But just as common are cases of players earning less money than they expected or were promised, either verbally or in writing.

“We’re a hardworking family,” Bob Sluka told ESPN. “To be able to have an athlete like Matt, we don’t really care what the money is. But there’s a principle behind it. He’s not the first athlete that this has happened to. We’ve heard it from a million kids that they’re not getting their money. So maybe Matt should be the poster boy, but we don’t want that. But we’re not going to let Barry Odom just stand up and say, ‘Fuck you, I’m not paying you, get on the field.'”

What does this say about the state and future of NIL?

Sluka’s departure from UNLV highlights a troubling issue for all parties, especially as the rules surrounding player compensation are set to change dramatically.

If the settlement in the House v. NCAA antitrust case is approved, it would usher in a new era of revenue sharing in college athletics beginning in 2025-26. Schools would be able to pay their athletes directly through NIL deals up to a limit expected to be between $20 million and $23 million per school next year, with annual increases.

That settlement is currently on hold after Judge Claudia Wilken refused to grant preliminary approval on September 5 and ordered lawyers to “go back to the drawing board” regarding restrictions around third-party NIL payments by collectives.

As part of its efforts to modernize college sports, the NCAA has long opposed a model in which athletes are considered employees of their school. The NCAA has also lobbied Congress for years to help the federal legislature avoid treating athletes as employees.

What’s next for UNLV?

The Rebels continue with seniors Hajj-Malik Williams and Cameron Friel as their top options at the quarterback position as they enter the Mountain West Conference on Saturday against Fresno State.

Williams, an FCS transfer from Campbell, has appeared in two games this season and rushed for 88 yards on 10 carries in UNLV’s 72-14 blowout win over Utah Tech. He became Campbell’s all-time leading passer with 8,236 yards and 58 touchdowns in his five seasons with the program. Friel has earned 10 starts for the Rebels over the past two seasons.

Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.