Travis Hunter Tells Ex-UNLV QB Matthew Sluka 'NIL Can Wait,' Focus Should Be on NFL

Colorado star Travis Hunter had some words of advice for ex-UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka, who opted to sit out for the remainder of the 2024 season due to NIL disputes.

On his podcast, The Travis Hunter Show, Hunter told Sluka that the NFL is the ultimate goal, and choosing to sit out rather than being on the field could hurt his chances of making it to the league.

"Buddy, if I'm you, I'm trying to get to the NFL," Hunter said (21:09 mark). "NIL can wait. I know it happened to a lot of your teammates, but I'm out there ballin' on that field. I need all of the film I can get. Every piece of bit of the film. ... It's not about the NIL, it's about the NFL. Because I know if I would have went to go transfer somewhere else, could have got a major amount of money, but it ain't about the money. It's about getting to the NFL. The NFL going to set you for life. NIL can only set you for a moment."

In a social media post announcing his decision, Sluka said he "committed to UNLV based on certain representations" that were made to him and said those representations "were not upheld after" he enrolled.

While Sluka never stated that he decided to sit out over NIL, his agent later said that UNLV did not deliver its verbal offer of $100,000 from an assistant coach, per ESPN's Pete Thamel and Adam Rittenberg.

Sluka had a strong start to the season with 318 passing yards, six touchdowns and an interception to lead the Rebels to a 3-0 start, but his time with the team is now over.

Even without its starting quarterback, UNLV walloped Fresno State 59-14 on Saturday behind Hajj-Malik Williams' 182 passing yards and three touchdowns.