USF is trying to bring order to NIL, but UNLV's situation shows it's the wild west

What does now-former UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka have to do with USF football?

Technically, nothing. But if they aren't careful, every school that plays major college athletics – not just football – may eventually have to go through the same program-shaking experience that UNLV and Sluka are going through now.

UNLV is 3-0 with Sluka under center, but he threw the program into turmoil this week when he quit, saying an assistant coach promised to pay him $100,000 to play for the Rebels.

Bob Sluka, the quarterback’s father, told ESPN that head coach Barry Odom told him the offer wasn’t valid because it didn’t come from him.

Rivals.com reported that both sides kept talking until UNLV said it was $3,000 a month – “take it or leave it.”

The quarterback left it, so here we are.

Sluka, a fifth-year senior, left the program in time to preserve his redshirt for another school next year. This is just my guess, but I think young Mr. Sluka could be surprised at the lack of interest in him. He can play, but it’s probably better to set his sights on the NFL or some other pro league.

Any college that signs him will be peppered with questions about how much they’re paying Sluka and that they would only have him for one year.

Since players have the right to profit from their name, image, and likeness, $100,000 might be cheap for an elite QB.

It’s chump change compared to what quarterback Jaden Rashada he was offered a $13.85 million deal to play for the University of Florida. This was after he reportedly committed to a $9.5 million deal to play for Miami.

The Gator deal fell apart, and Rashada sued  Florida coach Billy Napier, booster Hugh Hathcock, and former football staffer Marcus Castro-Walker. Rashada is now at the University of Georgia, where he has struggled and appears headed for a redshirt season.

USF has sought to bring order and process to this murky mess by appointing Andrew Warsaw as the general manager of the school’s new NIL Strategy unit.

"College athletics is changing and evolving rapidly, and the University of South Florida intends to be on the forefront of that evolution," USF Athletics Director Michael Kelly said.

"We are building a model athletic department for these modern times. As the era of permissiveness with what we can provide student-athletes and revenue sharing continues to evolve, South Florida intends to be as aggressive as we can be and continue to meet every new standard."

One of the program’s guidelines states: “The University of South Florida, the Athletic Department, staff members or boosters may not compensate or arrange compensation to a current or prospective intercollegiate athlete for her or his name, image, likeness.”

However, the Strategy unit is designed to help all USF athletes maximize their NIL opportunities. Players can endorse products, receive payment for autograph appearances, and things like that.

USF’s guidelines state that under current NCAA rules, having an agent could imperil the athlete’s eligibility. That could be a problem for Matthew Sluka, but we’ll let the NCAA deal with that.

Meanwhile, recruiting continues to be the lifeblood of any program, including USF. In this uncharted NIL world, it's not unusual when a player suddenly decommits after saying he would sign with a school.

It’s also reasonable to wonder if he or she got a more lucrative offer from another place. As we see in the UNLV case, keeping your best players in the program takes more than flattery.

UNLV is the latest cautionary tale for all the NCAA programs. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.