'You Have to Follow Through': Steve Sarkisian Speaks on UNLV QB Matthew Sluka Situation

The situation surrounding UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka has a chance to change the landscape of college football. Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian shared his thoughts about the saga on Thursday.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian holds up the sign of the horns after the 56-7 win over UTSA at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The UNLV Rebels were 3-0 and coming off a big win at Kansas.

Everything was looking up until Tuesday, when their starting quarterback Matthew Sluka announced that he would be leaving the team because of expectations that "were not upheld" after he enrolled this summer.

pic.twitter.com/oK5BDRpoxK

— Matthew Sluka (@MatthewSluka) September 25, 2024

It was reported that UNLV promised to pay the former Holy Cross player $100,000 for transferring to UNLV. After week 3, it was apparent that UNLV would only pay him $12,000 instead of the promised amount, leading to Sluka alongside a backup running back to leave the team.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was asked about the situation at a press conference on Thursday, where he had this to say

"I think ultimately when you make an agreement, you have to follow through," Sarkisian said Thursday. "Again, I don't know the specifics. I think whenever agreements are made, I don't care if we go to revenue sharing, whatever it is you have to follow through, and that's both parties."

Sarkisian mentioned that he "doesn't know all the specifics" and that he has "enough stuff on (his) plate that (he's) got to deal with," but still continued to share that both parties "need to follow through."

"This day and age, if you agree to something and then you feel like you're playing better than what your value is, you just don't get to take your ball and go home, it doesn't work like that," Sarkisian said. "And so I think that's some of the growing pains we're going to go through here, especially when we get into revenue sharing."

Texas, being a much bigger program, doesn't have to worry nearly as much as a program like UNLV with failing expectations when it comes to NIL money, but this new development could cause programs to be more careful with what they promise to their recruits now.

UNLV could also be in huge trouble for the future of their program. Convincing recruits to join will be in huge jeopardy for a while now with their credibility ruined.

The Rebels football team gave a learning lesson to the rest of the college world on how to handle their NIL resources.