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Quarterback Matt Sluka, who quarterbacked UNLV to a 3-0 start before choosing to leave the Rebels in a public Name, Image, Likeness dispute, will be joining James Madison for the 2025 season, the school announced on social media Wednesday.

The senior quarterback made the curious choice to sit out after the Rebels’ exciting undefeated start, preserving his eligibility for another season after competing in fewer than four games. It puzzled some observers due to the Rebels’ hot start, yet he cited a disagreement over NIL compensation for the decision, claiming UNLV reneged on an agreed-upon $100,000 payment.

UNLV and its collective disputed the allegation of Sluka, who passed for 318 yards and rushed for 253 with seven total touchdowns, as the Rebels took down Power-Four opponents Houston and Kansas under his early-season guidance.

The current head coach at James Madison, Bob Chesney, was Sluka’s head coach at Holy Cross prior to the signal-caller transferring to UNLV. In the immediate aftermath of Sluka’s decision to sit out, Chesney came to the defense of his former quarterback, saying in part, “Anybody that’s ever played football for me and sweated or bled on that field for me, I stand by 100 percent.

“He’s not a guy who can be bought.”

UNLV finished 11-3 after Hajj-Malik Williams took over the starting spot, winning the LA Bowl against Cal.

Now, Sluka and Chesney reunite for a Dukes program that finished 9-4 in 2024 with a Boca Raton Bowl win against Western Kentucky.

–Field Level Media