UNLV starting QB Matthew Sluka will wear a redshirt and miss the remaining games in 2024
UNLV starting quarterback Matthew Sluka announced on social media Tuesday night that he will redshirt and will not play in any of the Rebels’ remaining games this season.
In a post on X, Sluka wrote, “I chose UNLV based on certain promises that were made to me, but these were not kept after I enrolled. Despite discussions, it became clear that these promises would not be fulfilled in the future. I wish my teammates the best of luck this season and hope for the continued success of the program.”
— Matthew Sluka (@MatthewSluka) 25 September 2024
The Rebels are 3-0 and have been one of college football’s lucky stories over the past two years. The program had two winning seasons from 2000 to 2022. Barry Odom won nine games in his first season as Rebels coach and has two wins against Big 12 competition this season with Sluka as the starting quarterback.
The Group of 5 is guaranteed at least one spot in the expanded 12-team playoffs, and UNLV has one of the best records of these programs, with wins over Kansas and Houston.
Sluka transferred to UNLV this offseason after spending the last four years at Holy Cross, an FCS program. In 2023, he was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 1,728 yards and 20 touchdowns and rushing for 1,247 yards. He finished fourth in voting for the Walter Payton Award, given to the FCS’s most outstanding offensive player.
Through three games this season, Sluka is UNLV’s best passer and runner, throwing for 318 yards, six touchdowns and one interception and running for 253 yards and one touchdown.
UNLV reached the Mountain West Championship Game for the first time in 2023. Quarterback Jayden Maiava led the Rebels’ run and was named the 2023 Mountain West Freshman of the Year. He entered the transfer portal this offseason and was courted by high-profile programs like Georgia and USC. He ultimately decided to play for the Trojans and is the backup to Miller Moss.
Now UNLV has lost its starting quarterback again, but this time within the first month of the season and with a strong Fresno State team traveling to Las Vegas to face the Rebels on Saturday afternoon.
The only other quarterback on the roster to attempt a pass this season is senior Cameron Friel. He completed his only pass attempt over 30 yards. Friel was named the 2021 Mountain West Freshman of the Year after throwing for 1,608 yards, six touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Friel attempted 226 passes that season, but only 50 in the three seasons since.
Also in the mix is FCS transfer Hajj-Malik Williams, who rushed for 8,236 yards and 58 touchdowns in five seasons at Campbell. True freshman Gael Ochoa joined the program in January. Whoever starts will have the advantage of throwing to star receiver Ricky White III, who has just 126 receiving yards this season but will have 1,314 in 2023.
The decision to redshirt during the season and preserve eligibility for a potential transfer has become a trend in college football over the past two seasons. Players can play four games and still redshirt for a season.
In the past, however, these moves have been made by players who were low in the rankings and not playing much of a game, not by the starting quarterback of a 3-0 team with a real chance of winning the league.
So this is another unprecedented situation in this age of free transfer portal movement and NIL decisions.
(Photo: Kyle Rivas/Getty Images)
