Inside The Panthers

Pitt HC Calls Out UNLV Transfer Scandal, Former Assistant

Pitt Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi calls out UNLV and their transfer approach

Dominic Campbell

Aug 31, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi looks on against the Kent State Golden Flashes during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Aug 31, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi looks on against the Kent State Golden Flashes during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi has spent the past few years learning to deal with the transfer portal and NIL, with some successes and some misses along with way.

Losing Biletnikoff winner in wide receiver Jordan Addison to USC prior to the 2022 season due to NIL was one that Narduzzi disliked. It also didn't help that transfer quarterbacks in Kedon Slovis, Phil Jurkovec and Christian Veilleux didn't succeed either.

The transfer portal benefitted Pitt greatly this offseason, as the team is 4-0. Redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein came from Alabama and has won four straight ACC Rookie of the Week awards.

Offensive coordinator Kade Bell came from Western Carolina and brought players like junior running back Desmond Reid, who's starrred on the ground, as a receiver and in the return game, as well as wide receivers in redshirt junior Raphael "Poppi" Williams and junior Censere "C.J." Lee.

UNLV saw their quarterback Matthew Sluka choosing to redshirt after four games and enter the transfer portal. Sluka transferred from FCS program Holy Cross for his final college season and chose to depart due to promises not kept in terms of money related to NIL.

Sluka reportedly left due to a $100,000 verbal commitment from UNLV to play in 2024. Bob Sluka, Matthew's father, also said that UNLV head coach Bob Odom said that the offer wasn't valid, as offensive coordinator Brennan Marion made the offer, not Odom himself.

Narduzzi spoke on the situation on College Sports on SiriusXM and said that at Pitt, the coaching staff wants to build players up and make them understand that the team as a whole matters more than just the individual and that you work all spring ball, offseason and fall camp to prove your worth a spot, each and every day.

"Well, I think there’s a couple things going on with the whole situation," Narduzzi said. "The No. 1 thing I’d say is, comes down to team and we really try to coach up with our guys just about the team. It’s not about you, it’s about the team and playing time. Anybody that’s not getting as many reps, there’s a lot of unhappy faces around the country. If you’re a backup and you’re seeing a quarter of the reps or whatever it may be in a certain spot. That’s part of it. But you know what, that’s why you have spring ball, that’s why you work in the offseason, that’s why you work your tail off during the summer is to get in a spot where you’re supposed to be and every coach in the country is trying to put the best players on the field and if that’s not good enough. Again, it comes down to selfishness and we talk a lot about being selfless and the “We-we” instead of the “Me-Me” "

Narduzzi also said that the Pitt coaching staff wouldn't have an issue like UNLV with Sluka, as they don't lie to players to come and join the program and then when they arrive, become quickly unhappy with the situation.

Marion, who reportedly made the offer to Sluka, also served as the wide receivers coach at Pitt in 2021, when they won their first ACC Championship, with his allowing playes like Addison and others to thrive.

"...Looking at the issues there we talked about at UNLV. I think it comes down to doing what you say you’re going to do. We can talk verbals, verbal offers. We can talk about the verbal stuff and something in writing. Obviously, it’s always better in writing, but sometimes, that’s not the case that you’re getting it in writing, but you know what, wherever you’re going, you better trust the people you’re working with and again, we don’t have those issues in Pittsburgh because we’re telling the kids, “Hey, this is what it is, like it or leave it.” We’re not going to, our coaches aren’t going on the road telling fibs and lying to kids to try to get them to come and then they get there and they’re unhappy. I mean you talk about losing trust, right now. I think they’ve got a trust issue right there, at least from what I see from the outside looking in. I’m just an outsider."

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Dominic Campbell
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