UNLV QB Matthew Sluka to redshirt 🚨 Pete Thamel thinks he will TRANSFER 🗣️ | College Football Live

#ESPN
Sam Acho, Tom Luginbill and Pete Thamel join Victoria Arlen on College Football Live to react to the breaking news that UNLV QB Matthew Sluka has announced he will use his redshirt season and not play the rest of the season, citing "representations" were not upheld by the school.
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[@bacon-Pancakes1]

The coach was just on college GameDay bragging about their NIL opportunities. In 2024 this is like a death sentence for a football team

[@organicsoulgumbo]

Absolutely

[@mynumberoneguy]

If a school can't afford to pay a starting QB a 100k. They deserve to lose. That kid was undervalued at 100k for everything has accomplished in the 3 games. Going on the road to Kansas and winning. Seems like they knew of the offer did nothing about it. Thought the kid wouldn't leave and he did. The players need to unionize so schools have to honor agreements. Getting it in writing.

[@Jbugnb1]

@@mynumberoneguy I don’t think you understand he asked for more money or he would transfer the school said no because it is against the Nevada state laws and the ncaa rules

[@SurferRC]

@@mynumberoneguythats the problem he never got it in writing, and he has an agent! No sympathy for stupidity 😂

[@SurferRC]

@@Jbugnb1lol not what happened, he was verbally offered 100k but never got it in writing! Hes an idiot

[@DOJAx707]

Anybody else think they had a hair on their screen?

[@adamcarrey9115]

No.

[@deangulberry1876]

Yes I was blowing on my screen like a moron 😂

[@davidthomson6561]

@@deangulberry1876 Me too

[@xspindrift8737]

Get ready for the 'Sluka Rule" incominng....UNLV was bad but what a dumb move not to get a written deal and just go off a verbal or handshake.

[@TakeitEasy64HD]

I mean yeah if y’all think this is just a business now then he without a doubt should have gotten a written agreement before committing to play for UNLV. At the end of the day if you take someone’s word at face value, then you have no one to blame but yourself.

[@KyleThum]

I agree, but why is an assistant coach doing saying they can give him that, knowing full well that they cannot afford that? That’s very shitty for the coach to do that to get him to sign up

[@jimbowlan5804]

Yaa that’s gonna look bad for the school I think the running back of UNLV is leaving the team for the same thing

[@KyleThum]

@@jimbowlan5804 he quoted lack of opportunities, but this will domino effect for a lot of people who aren’t going public on this, and definitely bite UNLV

[@jonosay854]

😂💯

[@porkyrabbit]

This is gonna hurt UNLV in recruiting in the future

[@gabestackson4476]

Like they didn’t already have that problem in the first place😂

[@SurferRC]

Nah kid is a moron never had the “offer” in writing 🤡😂🤦🏼‍♂️

[@Los150]

What top recruits were running there in the first place?

[@bo0gi3]

definitely

[@BBallRambling]

I would love to see that guy keep working at ESPN without pay. Let’s see if his mind changes.

[@SurferRC]

But he signed a contract unlike the kid and his dumb agent! 🤡🤡

[@ashtonyates9246]

@@SurferRCMatt did not have an agent at the time of the verbal agreement. In recruiting the coaches are like sleepy car salesmen saying whatever to get the results they want

[@jacobb953]

Get everything in writing next time big dog!

[@ericchristian1416]

College athletes aren’t allowed to have anything in legal writing until their 1st day of class after they’ve enrolled.

[@brownwolf152]

They're not allowing anything on writing playboy.

[@SurferRC]

@@ericchristian1416lol false

[@SurferRC]

@@brownwolf152wrong collectives pay high schoolers now 🤡😂🤦🏼‍♂️

[@ericchristian1416]

@@SurferRC not entirely. I was under the impression that Nevada was one of the states that hadn’t flipped on that. Turns out that they recently have. In some states, such as Texas, it’s still illegal to have written contracts prior to enrollment.

[@jasonhoskinson5951]

It was his last year in football and they were only gonna give him 12 k when they said 100 k. Good for him to leave.

[@SurferRC]

Its on him for not getting it in writing

[@Pluto634cool]

​@SurferRC ok and its also on him to decide if he wants to stay or not. Cant judge him for choosing to leave. He'll learn from his mistakes

[@heveyweightheveyweight5399]

Need to charge him for his scholarship

[@ChocoThunDuh]

UNLV do better !

[@MarineBlueFade]

100k? You can probably find that in the office desk of the athletic director, top drawer to the left! Change of QB in the middle of a hot-streak.. Thanks a lot UNLV and good luck attracting future recruits.

[@heero75]

Maybe at Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia, Texas or the like but UNLV doesn't have the same money as the big names in College football.

[@rafterman5072]

Well, the NIL is usually run by boosters.

[@MattBuild4]

@@heero75 You telling be boosters in LAS VEGAS aint got $100k?

[@heero75]

@@MattBuild4 The promise of 100k came from a coach not a Booster, the coach likely didn't have any means to back it up and they where betting on him not leaving the team.

[@SurferRC]

@@heero75yup schools cant pay for play yet but will in the next year or two

[@joesmith8725]

College football is dead.

[@drookard1525]

Joe’s mad that 19 year old make more than him lol

[@SomeChink]

lol no it’s not dying any time soon

[@neckcutter8852]

lol Florida state is. All that nil money down the sewer 🤦🏿‍♂️

[@lamar310]

Ratings are up and attendance is up this year. College football by the numbers is the 2nd most popular sport in the US

[@reliablethreat23]

The NIL killed it.

[@Chuckd50]

How does his agent now get THIS IN WRITING?! I’m firing him ASAP!

[@jermainelaw1077]

Blame the NCAA. All they had to do was either pay the players or not penalize them so harshly for receiving money from the outside. I remember Terrelle Pryor getting in trouble for selling his own stuff in exchange for Tattoos. They dropped the ball big time

[@stormlakebobcat9058]

That was ridiculous by the NC double mass holes. 😅 His own uniform. His to choose what he wants to do with it

[@dennisgannon]

The coach lied? The agent was lazy, this should have been fixed weeks ago. And the "collective" sounds cheap. OK you claim the coach exceeded his authority, but what about now, R U too cheap to put up 100K? You are undefeated, what more do you want? So, in addition to a flawed coach and agent, we have a stupid and cheap collective. The other schools are laughing at you.

[@iAintSayDat]

Anyone in sports media defending UNLV should let there boss not pay them and stay out of loyalty.

[@josephagundez5409]

To be honest, if a person accepts a verbal agreement with that amount of money on the line with nothing in writing then that person is an idiot.

[@chrisbradford5893]

​@@josephagundez5409 part of the problem is that there are too many parties involved.

[@SO-if3yn]

@@josephagundez5409all of it is verbal. You stand on your word because there are no rules for NIL. No contracts…yet

[@josephagundez5409]

@@SO-if3yn If there's no rules then there's nothing stopping a player from demanding a contract. If the university says no then there's 120+ other D1 schools to play at.

[@jrb281]

​@@josephagundez5409that's an interesting way of saying UNLV and their coaches are dishonest.

[@IceManLikeGervin]

The money will appear before Saturday's game...

[@SBE1]

Verbal agreements are still legal agreements, but obviously difficult to enforce. They school doesn't dispute the offer was made, but says the person (an assistant coach) didn't have authority. Well, was there any repercussions for the coach that made the unauthorized offer? If not there will be, because nobody should believe anything a UNLV coach tells them going forward. Go play for a school that stands behind their coach's offers.

[@a.s.clifton544]

This falls on his agent. No agent worth his salt let’s his commodity sign on a verbal promise.

[@TXHORNS210]

Looks like he should of hired a better agent. It was a verbal agreement

[@theccqua]

Very simple you make a deal you honor it

[@dorianvick8932]

Loyalty????!! This is a business; there was no contract, and the QB backed out. Good on him! Remember D1 scholarships are year to year. The school has never been loyal to the players!

[@malcolmn.5222]

Remember less than 1 percent of all student athletes are on any type of athletic scholarship. The school is pretty loyal to the athletes. Most of the time if an athlete loses their scholarship it's for none performance related reasons or for something that was written into the scholarship.

[@MattBuild4]

In this case your correct, but it does depend on the situation.

[@lexsea]

well then UNLV should fire their OC who is running around the country promising kids $100k otherwise cough up the $100k you promised him

[@SO-if3yn]

Players should avoid UNLV.

[@MrAllhalebreaksloose]

They kind of have been😂

[@averydaymond1560]

Oh this will be crippling for the program-they’ll go from being UNLV to 🫤 uh back to blah UNLV again.

[@RandomUser1898]

I'm glad I graduated before NIL became a thing. Crazy part is I still took home around 2k to 5k a year being a walk-on with no athletic scholarship

[@dirtmike6258]

unlv was acting slimy with the kid and nil payments ... can't blame him for transferrring, this looks bad on the university

[@terrydlewis8681]

If they made the playoffs as the group of 5 team they would make a lot more than 100k. Why risk that plus the bad name they will be given to other potential transfers.

[@LonghornsLegend]

I know if Tom was offered a certain amount of money by ESPN and it wasn't held up on their end, I guarantee he wouldn't keep working for the company for the other people on the company so things continued to go well. It's really not any deeper than that. Don't be a hypocrite. As soon as your check came up short you wouldn't work another show.

[@dizzynikki527]

2:44 Why would I listen to a guy who doesn’t even know who UNLV plays this week?

[@jeremyjenners5150]

The oc is a liar period. Nothing on the kid or the agent. The HC too he knows dam well that kid isnt coming there for free when at least 5 other bigtime schools were trying for his services schools that would've actually made sure he got his

[@saldiven2009]

People saying this is the first time seeing this have already forgotten the Jayden Rashada issue at Florida last year. Rashada even has an ongoing lawsuit against UF.

[@reliablethreat23]

This dude is the epitome of everything that's wrong with college football. I miss the days when players played for school pride and legacy! College football is on a downward spiral! NIL is killing college football!

[@v1rotatev230]

No I understand the situation He’s right you’re paying these players who have no allegiance or ties to the schools outside of money and when something doesn’t go their way or something gets messed up they’ll just up and leave screwing their teammates

[@hortanokilli7608]

Victoria Arlen is fantastic and her story is truly amazing!

[@WrambleOn]

What bigger schools? Lmao. Sure. The dude can’t throw.

[@joshuafinn6038]

He sure looked great going on the road and beating a ranked big 12 team...

[@WrambleOn]

@@joshuafinn6038 He was 7/18 for 86!yards. He literally cannot throw. What big school is going after that?

[@joshuafinn6038]

@WrambleOn do you see the irony in saying "he literally cannot throw" after saying he threw and completed 7 throws? 🤦‍♂️

[@WrambleOn]

@@joshuafinn6038 You know what I meant.

[@stormlakebobcat9058]

Dude got skee rewed in Vegas. So what happens there, stays there. 😅

[@BRoyceEke]

Never trust a business deal in Vegas not in writing ✍️

[@JohnW41]

Acho repeated a bunch of nothing

[@whotube5187]

No offense to the guy, but Sluka currently has a 44% completion percentage through these first three games. Where is this dude gonna land? Back at Holy Cross?

[@MattBuild4]

I mean dual threat QBs historically have lower completion percentages. The dude was both the leading passer and the leading rusher for UNLV.

[@kswiss267]

Free tuition wasn’t enough 😂

[@bman6502]

We need to stop bashing the players… coaches get paid millions and colleges do not guarantee scholarships.. Most people don’t realize that scholarships are year to year and the school can pull a scholarship whenever they want..

[@SurferRC]

These kids are soft

[@theagapepages]

Dabo was right.

[@Foggydidwhat]

About?

[@CityGrocery]

I believe UNLV. A lot of what Sluka says doesn't make sense. If he had 25 Nil offers why would you pick the shakiest offer. What was the payment schedule? How was it not in writing? The Nil office says the Kid never contacted them for the payment. HOW WOULD YOU SHOW UP AT SCHOOL in August for workouts and not get your first payment. Why is espn ignoring Pete Thamel's FULL REPORT. They just say the school lied and ripped off the kid. It sounds like it wasn't a NIL offer but an old fashioned under the table payment. This kid is from a rich family in Locust Valley Long island. His dad is very sophisticated. He doesn't want the $100,000 because he was trying out for the power 5 and a few million.

[@SteinSays]

The state of college football is a JOKE RIGHT NOW...SHAME ON EVERYONE INVOLVED. Starting with ESPN.

[@zacharylansing]

I don't believe for a second that Sluka was promised any crazy amout of money. I think his parents simply see an opportunity for their child to make money by sitting. nothing more nothing less.

[@andrewp4220]

A university screws a kid- shocked!! No I’m really not

[@bo0gi3]

His agent did a poor job representing him. What contract isn’t put in writing BEFORE transferring to UNLV. Sluka did the right thing. If you good at something never do it for free.

[@ChristopherJohnson-l3c]

All UNLV football players receive the same NIL amount with the exception of Ricky White the All-American. UNLV NIL collective does everything in writing.

Their all american wideout was half speed routes and almost? Intentional drops last (3rd) game and probably foreshadowed what was on deck this week. Two drops were for touchdowns.

[@jermainebolden2599]

Vegas has become a town of BS. I’ve lived here 10 years and it is RARE that someone does what they say, especially when it comes to money. It sucks that even at this level there is BS.

[@djboogieboy]

How many of you will be watching UNLV lose on Saturday!👋🏼😂

[@toprankintv9122]

I would leave too…dnt make promises you can’t keep. He a good qb the right team will pick him up

[@davidleo9612]

Is anybody going to go to UNLV after this? Nope.

[@Kstewart14]

In the words of Kobe Bryant …..SOFT

[@fortshucker]

Who cares it’s a no name Qb who you never heard about until all this. Run away and play somewhere else and be non existent.

[@Kurfuffle]

Feedback: too much banter, too much wrestling, not enough Pete.

[@Battlegnome112]

Only the icebreaker. If you think the top programs aren’t offering their rivals and opponents players during the season. You probably think the government isn’t lying to you either.

[@garyb2392]

Lol! It’s UNLV who cares…this would be news at Alabama

[@cardfan6509]

It already was going on. BYU basketball lost a guard Q Glover to Kansas State because of NIL, But got injured and sat out for the season.

[@Sassersammy]

UNLV, weak program with no integrity. QB was smart to hold out. He is going to get some good offers too because he can throw it, run it, and has good leadership skills.

[@brownwolf152]

This kid played at holy cross but they weren't that good, and they're making seem like it was his fault.

[@timbacino905]

A learning lesson in this mess. I would fire his mgt representatives because they should have guided him through the process and get a signed agreement before committing to UNLV. Get it in writing before you commit.

[@andrebailey6676]

His misrepresentation he was misrepresented and the offensive coordinator should have never offer him $100,000 deal without it being in writing

[@Pluto634cool]

he might not make it to the NFL. So 100k is life changing money not only for himself!

[@lastpme]

UNLV is stupid…best season in school history and this can’t help with recruiting and there is uncertainty with its conference.

[@notsure2105]

Lesson learned ALWAYS get it in writting.

[@leonrobinson1926]

I can't wait until the week before the playoffs when some star player tells his coach he will skip the playoffs unless he gets a bonus payment in advance

[@gary-gt-tsang]

I like how the agent is telling people on what was promised and not being delivered but takes not accountability in the situation that he messed up with not having the agreed terms in writing. My opinion will change if they did this on purpose so there's no paper trail on what was agreed and leaving them with leverage to ask for more money if Sluka plays really well. Other that this, Sluka should sue the agent for gross negligence.

[@BarryBlockZay617]

So UNLV is saying they are Men who dont keep their word

[@matthewvoyles7031]

The colleges and the NCAA deserve every last bit of this.

[@KnowledgeTv___]

Don’t tell kids your gonna pay em and then dont do what u promised…..I bet this happened so many times he the only kid that decided or had the option to do something about it 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@joshb2686]

Lmao, no he did not have “much bigger deals” 😅

[@azandy77]

And we thought college was about academics.

[@lamar310]

This is the definition of MESSY. Hard to believe nobody could find a solution and both sides take a loss. The agent should be fired…he’s hired to handle business

[@UnitardZZack]

I feel like his 2026 draft stock just bumper up a little.

[@bman6502]

Verbal is a contract, just not as good as written…

[@frozentundra7446]

So, what does the contract state for payment that he signed?

[@bigtex5343]

There is no I in TEAM! College football corrupted by money who would’ve thought!

[@TheBearGrappler]

No, but there's *ME* in team

[@RJ-qs6nm]

The running back just quit too for the same reason

[@vanjones1749]

He should go to Florida State they could use his skills and would have the money to pay him for next year

[@gabestackson4476]

😂😂😂

[@davoncrack17]

Shame on UNLV !

[@pureblood8198]

I don't like what college football has become...Paying players, all the weird conference stuff, firing coaches all the time, etc. But on the other hand, if you're 20 years old and you make a few million in college, you're set. The idea of retiring at 21 sounds great.

[@gabestackson4476]

Stop talking

[@JamaarChaseedits]

First comment

[@suites.74]

100,000 at age 23 invested could result in retiring at age 40 instead of age 60, regardless of what your job is. That's life changing money for a working class person!

[@andrebailey6676]

That's on him he should have had his teeth crossed and got the eyes before he even stepped on campus

[@bigbadfletch96]

This is what ya'll wanted...

[@xavierb5120]

Yes we want athletes to get paid

[@AnthonyMcNeil]

The issue was that we KNEW that these colleges were paying students but it kept being said that it wasn't. If they would have just allowed these students to get paid then it would have never been the portal.

[@George-gf5xs]

I understand the stance that Sluka took, he was verbally promised for said amount by a team representative, yet he walks out on his school, team mates. Personally, i do not like students getting paid to play.

[@couz96797]

Maybe the PAC 12 knew about this and decided not to invite UNLV 🤔

[@ChristopherJohnson-l3c]

UNLV locker room is already rallying around Hajj Malik Williams if you see the players post online and HMW was choice 1a.

[@swahilijs]

I thought once you started playing in regular season, you can’t red shirt.

[@clipcoug1139]

You can play up to 4 games and still allowed to redshirt

[@SurferRC]

Maybe get something in writing!? Lol kid needs to go to class to learn how contracts in the real world work 😂🤡🤦🏼‍♂️

[@RobbieStacks90]

The NCAA needs to realize that NIL is a disaster and go back to the old days. These players are entitled to nothing. They're in school to get an education and try to win their schools championships like all of the proud players who came before them.

[@Bovice..YT-handles-are-fn-dumb]

You sound like a corporate, out of touch, senior citizen trust fund baby.

[@Michael-ir8zs]

Lol as a former college football player who played at a D1 SEC level, you sound like a moron. I got taken advantage of, I am glad the next generation is not. You must be a right wing lunatic

[@itisnottaken4444]

They go back to the old days and schools will just form their own league. NCAA has little power over this and it’s all their fault as they’ve had decades to address the situation in an equitable way.

[@zesolodar]

they realized it for years and did everything they could to prevent it from happening (why do you think they were adamant about not paying players) they were sued, criticized you name it and now you want them to do something about it? they knew what was going to happen and it did.

[@DOJAx707]

Entitled? They've taken the reps, the hits, the injuries and made the plays. They've earned the right to be fairly compensated.

[@RobbieStacks90]

If I were the UNLV coach, I would open the next team meeting with all the particulars of this case. Hopefully, Sluka is in the room so that his teammates can do whatever they need to do. College football was much better before NIL and the targeting rule changes. These players don't deserve a dime more than what they were getting, which was free tuition, room and board, and an education that they otherwise would not have qualified for.

[@GoodStuff1992]

college football has always evolved. some people thought the athletic scholarship would be the end of college sports as colleges can recruit ringers to win for their teams. People will get over it and still watch

[@Bovice..YT-handles-are-fn-dumb]

These players are the only reason NCAA makes a penny & the biggest revenue draw for their schools. They definitely deserve to be paid a portion of the profits generated from their talents.

[@Michael-ir8zs]

Lol I played d1 ball at an SEC school, players stick together and respect leaving if he was lied to

[@JMelo29K]

🫵 Bootlicker spotted

[@lightingbolt8148]

This is embarrassing. If I’m a coach I wouldn’t want him

[@itisnottaken4444]

If I’m the coach I’m firing the OC for making that deal without authorization.

[@MarineBlueFade]

Especially if he's all about the money but unfortunately the kid has talent so you know how that's going to go

[@oldman6825]

A year off nobody will want him from a bad FCS team can't believe anybody would pay him that much

[@boldtaa]

Bold take there that he’ll transfer.

[@ricardoortiz-ij6io]

I'm glad you work for free.