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Matthew Sluka

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Matthew Sluka
Sluka in 2023
Profile
PositionQuarterback
Personal information
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight216 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolKellenberg Memorial
(Uniondale, New York)
Peddie School
(Hightstown, New Jersey)
College
Awards and highlights
Stats at ESPN

Matthew Sluka is an American football quarterback. He played college football for the Holy Cross Crusaders, UNLV Rebels, and James Madison Dukes.

Early life

[edit]

Sluka grew up in Locust Valley, New York and attended Kellenberg Memorial High School, where he played football, lacrosse, and basketball.[1] As a junior, he passed for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,619 yards and 24 touchdowns as Kellenberg went undefeated. He was named Class A 2nd team all-state quarterback by the New York State Sportswriters Association.[2] As a senior, Sluka led the Firebirds to a second straight undefeated season, completing 74 of 101 pass attempts for 1,203 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushing for 1,131 yards and 22 touchdowns.[3] He was named Class A 1st team all-state quarterback by the NYSSWA.

Although Sluka was recruited to play college lacrosse by several high-level NCAA Division I programs, he enrolled at the Peddie School for a postgraduate year in hopes of being recruited to play college football.[4]

College career

[edit]

Holy Cross

[edit]
Sluka with Holy Cross in 2023

Sluka was named the Crusaders' starting quarterback going into his freshman season at Holy Cross, which was postponed from the fall to the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19.[5] He was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year after passing for 187 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 268 yards and four touchdowns in four games.[6] Sluka was named second-team All-Patriot League after passing for 1,512 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushing for 868 yards and 14 touchdowns during his sophomore season.[7]

Sluka was named first team All-Patriot League as a junior after he completed 153 of 266 pass attempts for 2,489 yards with 26 touchdowns and four interceptions and rushed 203 times for 1,234 yards, which was the most among FCS quarterbacks, and 11 touchdowns and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award.[8][9] He passed for 238 and three touchdowns, including one a 46-yard Hail Mary pass as time expired, and rushed for 146 yards in the Crusaders' 37–31 upset win over FBS Buffalo.[10][11] Sluka rushed for a career-high 213 yards and one touchdown and also passed for 125 yards in Holy Cross's 42–21 loss to eventual champion South Dakota State in the 2022 FCS quarterfinal.[12]

Sluka entered his senior season as a preseason All-American and on the watchlist for the Walter Payton Award.[13] He set a Division I single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 330 yards on 28 carries and rushed for three touchdowns in a 38–35 loss to Lafayette on October 21, 2023.[14] Sluka was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year after passing for 1,728 yards and 20 touchdowns with five interceptions and rushing for 1,247 yards and nine touchdowns.[15] He entered the transfer portal on November 20, 2023.[16] Sluka passed for 5,916 yards and 59 touchdowns, while rushing for 3,583 yards and 38 touchdowns during his four seasons at Holy Cross.[17]

UNLV

[edit]

Sluka ultimately transferred to UNLV.[18] He was named the Rebels' starting quarterback prior to the team's season opener against Houston.[19] UNLV defeated Houston 27–7 in their 2024 season opener, with Sluka throwing for 71 yards and two touchdowns in his Rebels debut.[20] In week 3, Sluka led UNLV to its first 3–0 start since the 1984 season in a 23–20 win over Kansas. He ran for 124 yards and threw for 86 yards and a touchdown.[21]

On September 25, 2024, Sluka announced on social media he would redshirt and not play in any of the Rebels' remaining games during the 2024 season. He stated that he committed to UNLV based on certain representations that were made to him, and said they were not upheld after he enrolled.[22] This would mark the first time (at least publicly) that a player elected to take a redshirt and transfer in-season due to the player's claim of unsigned, unwritten, and unenforceable name, image, and likeness compensation (NIL) agreements not being met.[23] UNLV denied that any offers outside of a $3,000 payment for relocation were made.[24]

In three games with UNLV, Sluka completed 21 of 48 passes for 318 yards and six touchdowns with an interception and rushed for 253 yards and one touchdown.[25]

James Madison

[edit]

On January 14, 2025, James Madison University announced on their social media platforms that Sluka had signed a letter of intent to play for the Dukes in 2025.[26] In his final college season Sluka appeared in eight games, all off the bench, and completed eight of 11 pass attempts for 100 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions while also rushing for 239 yards and three touchdowns on 42 carries.[27]

Statistics

[edit]
Season Team Games Passing Rushing
GPGSRecordCmpAttPctYdsAvgTDINTRtgAttYdsAvgTD
2020 Holy Cross 421–1203557.11875.321115.2442345.34
2021 Holy Cross 131310–311720856.31,4957.2115129.31668685.214
2022 Holy Cross 131312–115326657.52,4919.4264165.42031,2346.111
2023 Holy Cross 1195–412319961.81,7288.7205162.91861,2476.79
2024 UNLV 333–0214843.83186.661136.5392536.51
2025 James Madison 80—81172.71009.132202.7422395.73
Career544031–944276757.66,3198.46818151.16804,0755.943

Professional career

[edit]

After going unselected in the 2026 NFL draft, Sluka took part in a rookie minicamp with the New York Giants on a tryout basis but was not offered a contract.[28] The Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League added him to their negotiation list, but did not sign him.[27]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Rubin, Roger (August 25, 2018). "Kellenberg's Sluka, elite lacrosse player, is hooked on football". Newsday. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  2. ↑ Sarra, Gregg (November 30, 2017). "Salute to the champs: Kellenberg goes from last place to title". Newsday. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Top 100 Long Island high school boys athletes of the 2010s". Newsday. January 2, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  4. ↑ Erzar, John (September 14, 2019). "Prep Football: Wyoming Seminary has no answer for Peddie School once again". Times Leader. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Holy Cross has utilized sophomore QBs Matthew Sluka and Marco Siderman to great success this season". Telegram & Gazette. November 18, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Holy Cross football, Matthew Sluka, quarterback, Bob Chesney, Football Championship Subdivision, ranked 24th". Telegram & Gazette. September 9, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Junior quarterback Matthew Sluka looks stronger than ever as Holy Cross training camp rolls along". Telegram & Gazette. August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  8. ↑ Thompson, Rich (August 10, 2023). "Holy Cross quarterback Matt Sluka leads an offensive juggernaut". Boston Herald. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  9. ↑ Toland, Jennifer (August 10, 2023). "'That's my dude': Holy Cross quarterback Matthew Sluka focuses on senior season". Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  10. ↑ Bromberg, Nick (September 10, 2022). "Holy Cross beats Buffalo on wild Hail Mary as time expires". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Hail Sluka! QB hurls scoring pass on final play to as Holy Cross upsets FBS foe Buffalo". Telegram & Gazette. September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Holy Cross quarterback Matthew Sluka gives South Dakota State defense all it can handle but Jackrabbits advance". Argus Leader. December 10, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  13. ↑ Pote, Jamie (September 1, 2023). "Merrimack has hands full with Sluka, Crusaders; Season opener for Warriors on Saturday". The Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  14. ↑ Toland, Jennifer (October 26, 2023). "'It's a great feeling to write history in a way': For HC's Matthew Sluka, it was a run to the record book". Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  15. ↑ Nakos, Pete (January 10, 2024). "UNLV expected to host Holy Cross transfer QB Matthew Sluka". On3.com. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  16. ↑ Deen, Derrick (November 28, 2023). "Holy Cross QB Matthew Sluka enters transfer portal". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  17. ↑ Yamashita, Andy (January 16, 2024). "UNLV picks up quarterback in transfer portal, per report". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  18. ↑ "UNLV football lands coveted QB transfer after wild week of recruiting". Las Vegas Sun. January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Senior transfer opens season as starting quarterback for UNLV". Las Vegas Review-Journal. August 31, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Everything's Bigger In Texas, Including UNLV's Season-Opening Win At Houston". unlvrebels.com. UNLV Athletics. August 31, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Game-winning drive defines UNLV's resiliency". reviewjournal.com. Las Vegas Review-Journal. September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  22. ↑ Morales, Antonio. "UNLV starting QB Matthew Sluka will redshirt, won't play remaining games in 2024". The New York Times. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  23. ↑ McDaniel, Mike (September 25, 2024). "UNLV Starting QB Matt Sluka Announces Intent to Transfer for Perceived NIL Reasons". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  24. ↑ Andrejev, Alex; Williams, Justin; Ubben, David (January 14, 2025). "Matthew Sluka, ex-UNLV QB who left amid NIL dispute, signs with JMU: What could Dukes offer?". The Athletic. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  25. ↑ Morrison, Dan (October 30, 2024). "UNLV QB Matthew Sluka officially enters NCAA Transfer Portal after NIL dispute". On3.com. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Matthew Sluka transfers to JMU after leaving UNLV over $100K NIL dispute". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  27. 1 2 "Saskatchewan Roughriders add College Football Playoff backup QB Matthew Sluka to negotiation list". 3rdDownNation.com. December 18, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  28. ↑ Rock, Tom (May 10, 2026). "Tom Rock: Former Kellenberg QB Matthew Sluka gets tryout with Giants". Newsday. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
[edit]
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