Rece Davis lays into Matthew Sluka for NIL controversy: ‘You can’t just bail on the team’

Rece Davis offered his take on the recent NIL-related decision by UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka Saturday morning on College GameDay.

Sluka, who transferred in from Holy Cross this past offseason, is sitting the remainder of the year after reportedly failing to receive promised NIL money. Sluka and his agent claim UNLV offered him $1ooK in NIL funds to be the Runnin’ Rebels’ starting QB but acknowledge that no paperwork was ever signed.

Davis is most concerned with the latter point. He made it clear on College GameDay where he stands on the subject, saying Sluka made a dumb mistake and that he needs to own it and not “bail on the team.”

Here’s his full comments on the matter.

“If you make a dumb mistake in life, if I do, (UNLV QB) Matthew Sluka does, or whoever, sometimes you have to wear that… And going in there and expecting something without writing and then they don’t give it to you, you can’t just bail on the team.” – Rece Davis ️ pic.twitter.com/3dbAiNhQ0h

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 28, 2024

This particular situation is tough, and we’re no doubt still missing important details. If Sluka came to UNLV solely because he was promised $100K and they failed to deliver, that looks awful on UNLV’s part. It’s also true that making that decision and simply trusting the funds to be there without any sort of paperwork being filed is questionable to say the least.

What’s even worse? UNLV started the season 3-0 with the help of Sluka under center, scoring wins against Kansas and Houston in the process. They had (well, still have, technically) a real shot at reaching the College Football Playoff as the G5’s candidate.

UNLV faces Fresno State at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon.

Ethan Stone

Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.