Long Island's Matt Sluka, who left UNLV in NIL dispute, discusses decision to transfer to James Madison

After making national headlines with an unprecedented NIL decision in September, Locust Valley native Matt Sluka is making waves again.

The Kellenberg graduate, who quarterbacked the program to back-to-back undefeated seasons, committed to James Madison University on Wednesday for his graduate year. The move reunites him with his coaching staff from Holy Cross, where he was a four-year starter, led by coach Bob Chesney.

“I just felt really comfortable going back to my old staff,” Sluka said. “Just going down there and having that comfortable feel, knowing that I already know the playbook, I just felt like it would be a really great spot for me that I could go into and make an impact and compete with.”

Once Sluka arrived at Holy Cross, he was named Patriot League Rookie of the Year in the 2020-21 season and the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 and earned three all-conference selections. Holy Cross went 28-9 with him as a starter as he threw for 5,916 yards and 59 touchdowns. He also ran for 3,583 yards and 38 scores.

Sluka credits much of his success at the Division I level to his days at Kellenberg.

“I learned a lot at Kellenberg,” he said. “We had a great four years there. I learned how to be a quarterback and how to manage the game. Just being at Kellenberg in that family atmosphere .  .  . it was a great first stepping stone.”

Eric Meisse, Kellenberg’s current football coach, was an assistant on the staff when Sluka turned the program around and also coached him in lacrosse. He is happy to see Sluka get his shot with a respected FBS program.

“It’s everything that we as coaches dream for,” Meisse said. “To see any of your players go to the next level and have success is what brings a whole staff a lot of joy.”

On the national scene, Sluka is best known for his decision to leave UNLV this season after a 3-0 start, saying the program didn’t follow through on a $100,000 NIL payment that was promised to him after he transferred from Holy Cross.

At the time, UNLV’s NIL collective said there was no signed agreement, and the school issued a statement saying Sluka’s demands were a violation of NCAA rules.

Sluka said the situation was a learning experience.

“You just realize that what the internet says [about NIL] and what it really is aren’t always the same,” Sluka said. “It’s not all guarantees, it’s not all what it seems to be. The top of the top athletes are getting paid, but the rest of the other kids are still fighting and clawing for scholarships and other things.”

Sluka’s wild ride in football almost did not happen. At Kellenberg, he also starred on the lacrosse field, garnering plenty of Division I offers from elite programs. He was set to accept one of those offers until the end of his senior year, when he decided to take a postgraduate year at the Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey, to help boost his exposure in football. That got him to Holy Cross.

“I didn’t have my mind made up on what I wanted to do,” Sluka said. “Giving myself that extra year helped me decide if football was really for me or if I wanted to play lacrosse. The game of lacrosse was fun, but football opened more doors and opportunities for me, so I ran with it.”

Now that he finally has a new home, Sluka is excited to put the UNLV controversy behind him and get to work.

“I’m just really excited to be down there [Harrisonburg, Virginia] — it’s a great program,” Sluka said. “The campus and stadium are beautiful. I’m looking forward to going down there.”