QB Sluka says he won't play anymore for UNLV
UNLV starting quarterback Matthew Sluka announced Tuesday night on social media he will not play in any more games this season.
Just wow
- Thread starter kougkurt
- Start date
The question is what’s more gross, a kid quitting on his team mid season or a program making NIL promises they didn’t follow through on (which appears to be the case).
Shitty for the team as it could be a historic season.
So this was the reason? The kid was promised NIL money, and it never was produced? Despite the fact that UNLV is 3-0.
Is this the reason for him quitting?
Yes.
Same thing you, me or any other functioning adult would do if you accepted a job and got stiffed.
UNLV mis-judged their leverage here.
So 3-0 UNLV (ranked # 29 via other receiving votes) beats...
First 3-0 start since 1984.
At Houston Cougars, 27-7
Utah Tech (FCS) at home, 72-14
At Kansas Jayhawks 23-20
and Fresno State (3-1) at home on Saturday.
Sheesh. If he did hire an Agent to seek more money, then is both Ego-Greed and a Quitter, who quits on his team?
And possibly it's the Agent's fault for ambulance chasing to "dude....hire me, and I'll no doubt, 100%...get you more money"!
Could the root cause be the Agent?
First 3-0 start since 1984.
At Houston Cougars, 27-7
Utah Tech (FCS) at home, 72-14
At Kansas Jayhawks 23-20
and Fresno State (3-1) at home on Saturday.
Sheesh. If he did hire an Agent to seek more money, then is both Ego-Greed and a Quitter, who quits on his team?
And possibly it's the Agent's fault for ambulance chasing to "dude....hire me, and I'll no doubt, 100%...get you more money"!
Could the root cause be the Agent?
Last edited:
Regardless of the details, this is the predictable result of NIL. Players will hold out for more money after a good season. If they get out to a hot start, they can hold out for more. There are no controls on what they can demand or when. Get used to seeing good players on mid- and lower-level teams shut down their seasons after week 3, so they can save their eligibility for transfer.
Sounds like UNLV offered him $100,000 NIL money, kept on pushing payment back and finally said he won’t be getting it per his dad so he said bye. I hate the thought of NIL money but shame on UNLV if so.
Apparently the other side of the story is that he was promised $100,000 and has been paid $3,000. Based on the QBs comments about "representations" I'm guessing he wants what was promised in the sales pitch and may not have read the fine print.
Yeah that is an excellent question. I haven't been following the new Cougar Collective's fundraising campaign much, of course their website doesn't say shit other than "give give give". Shouldn't we have a bunch of unspent money from last year's BB campaign (which I donated modestly to)?
Here's how I see it, and this assumes that we have or will have hundreds of thousands to spend, rather than millions. First of all, give every scholarship player a modest NIL amount. Sounds sorta pathetic, but a couple thousand each, across the board? Then go to the key players and up the ante. $10K maybe? $20K? Then Mateer. Say we offer $100K. "Look John we can't even come close to competing with the big money schools. But here is enough to make you quite comfortable at WSU for another year, where you can continue to hone your skills, become a Cougar Legend, and make headlines in preparation for what will be a long and lucrative NFL career. Go somewhere else? Who knows what will happen to you?".
And, do this in an open and honest fashion with the entire team (don't need to share specific numbers on the key players). Look guys, we want you all to stay and build on our success. This is what we can do for ALL of you. If you choose to chase more money, you have our blessing.
Feel free to laugh, but if you do come up with your own scenario?
That's the world we live in and you've nailed it on the head.
As mercenary as some kids are about leaving for the money...I'm comfortable saying f#ck Cam Ward, I hope he ends up having a terrible season at Miami because it does not help WSU to have him be successful. That's mean spirited on my part...but I'm a fan of WSU football, not some dude chasing dollars. Ward having success empowers other schools to come to Mateer to lure him away. That sucks.
This seems like one of those things that people will try to argue either way, depending on their posture toward WSU, regardless of the outcome.
Ward goes to Miami and does well:
- WSU proponents: WSU recruited and developed him, and "got him ready" to be able to perform well at Miami.
- WSU detractors: WSU didn't allow him to reach his potential. Its OL, skill players, and other aspects of the roster were subpar or, in any event, limiting. Coaching was comparatively lacking. He wasn't getting real exposure, either. These (and money) are all reasons for someone like Ward (or Mateer) to bail to go somewhere like Miami.
- WSU proponents: He had every opportunity at WSU but is who he is. Miami's purportedly superior coaching and roster didn't help him improve or provide a platform for success.
- WSU detractors: WSU didn't prepare him.
Of course, what we want isn't determinative. He's going to do what he's going to do, and I expect him to be the same guy we saw but with some superior talent around him and another year of experience. He'll put up some numbers and will get a bit of hype but also will screw up when it counts, putting his performance somewhere in the muddled middle.
Last edited:
Not that much. Since this is Mateer's 3rd year at WSU, Mateer could have easily transfered out before now, since he was such a good prospect, that was the back up, that wasn't starting, that wasn't getting NIL.
Mateer also loves WSU, Dickert, etc.
Mateer is also the type of player to stay, is very committed, etc.
Mateer also knows he is not ready yet for either Blue blood football, NFL, etc, that he needs 1 more year at WSU, after this season, to improve on things like his accuracy, etc.
If Mateer gets about 7k to 13k to 23k in NIL, and knows he is appreciated, and knows WSU is trying to give whatever NIL they can, however small, that will probably be enough to keep Mateer for 1 more year after this season.
Other than Mateer loving WSU and Dickert, which I have no reason to doubt, none of the rest of this has any semblance of accuracy if Mateer continues to play well.
I think you're right on. As of a few days ago, The Cougar Collective had about $188,000 in it. I feel that's kind of low...and non-regulated, but it is what it is. We do know that for every dollar we contribute, a 100% match is there, which is very cool.
I feel every player, like you said gets... let's say $2K for "walk around money".
Standout players such as Mateer, etc....would obviously receive more, and at a discreet and confidential level.
Completely disagree. After last year there was no guarantee cam Ward was going to be anything more than a training camp arm on an nfl roster. When you have a chance to make the kind of money you would make as a third round draft pick to play another year in college you’ve got to take it…life changing money and there’s zero guarantee his game will translate to the nfl and he will make any significant money in the pros? Yeah, thats a no brainer.
It sucks that college football has turned into this but I can’t blame Cam for his decision.
Yeah no doubt. Your worth is what the highest bidder is willing to pay you. You can argue Mateer is having a better year than Ward was last year at this point, and look what he got paid. He’s in the top 10 in the Heisman discussion, he’s going to get some big NIL offers and it’s going to be hard for him to turn down. Now, there’s guys at other schools that have turned away big money to stay, but I wouldn’t assume it.
If we go 11-1, 10-2, it’s going to be tough to keep Dickert anyways.
If we go 8-4, it's going to be tough to keep Dickert. Unless he's a Mark Few.
At the beginning of the year with this schedule, 8-4 is the minimum. At this point anything less than 10 wins would be a disappointment. The key to keeping Dickert, is keeping the players, and the rest of the staff. And of course mo money for all solves a lot of issues.
You bring up some great points. Yeah, fvck that guy! That's all I have to say about that
Nice statement by UNLV. “We gave him what we promised, and then he came back for more. We said no.”
I don't blame him for leaving and I'm not mad at all. But, selfishly, as a Cougar football fan, I can't root for him because his success provides no benefit to WSU. I won't hate it if he does well....but I'm not celebrating it.
Disagree.
Ward was one of the hottest NIL names in football at the end of last year.
He is currently #1 in Heisman projections. It’s crystal clear he has NFL measurables.
If his season continues on its current path he will be a high #1 NFL draft pick
We are talking about two different seasons. He was a 5th rounder at best last year, which is why he took NIL money and came back.
Doesn’t matter if he was one of the hottest NIL names, he wasn’t going high in the draft last year scoring 6 points against Arizona.
He’s cleaned a lot up and helps that he has a good OLine and running game to take some pressure off. If he continues to play well, yeah he may be a first rounder.
And then he’ll go to a team with a bad OL and now running game, and he’ll be the 2025 version of Caleb Williams.
Cam Ward will be a top 10 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, barring serious injury.
Returning to college was a smart move for him.
Good article on his rise here. Certainly one of the biggest movers since last season, and no question made a good decision coming back.
2025 NFL Draft risers and fallers: Cam Ward, Kyle McCord impressing early in 2024 season
We're bringing 'Pop or Drop' from the podcast to the printed page
www.cbssports.com
It was the only move that made sense. I’m not sure he even would have been drafted after last season. If he was, it would be on day 3, and he’s be making less money.
If I’m a GM of a team picking top 10, I still have a serious concern. There’s ample evidence that his decision making goes straight to hell when he’s under pressure. And playing for any team picking top 10, he’s going to be under constant pressure.
There's more, USC Defensive tackle just claimed he is now sitting out the rest of the season. I personally feel these players are over playing their hand, fans will get really tired of this real fast, if this trend continues. Of course, there is some team with 20 mil in NIL money that will offer him, but there will be fewer and fewer of those teams is these defections keep happening.
Here is the headline:
In a breaking news story reported by On3 Sports, defensive tackle Bear Alexander has announced his intention to sit out the rest of the season, redshirt and enter the transfer portal.
USC DT redshirts and hits portal
Here is the headline:
In a breaking news story reported by On3 Sports, defensive tackle Bear Alexander has announced his intention to sit out the rest of the season, redshirt and enter the transfer portal.
USC DT redshirts and hits portal
Last edited:
