LAS VEGAS — UNLV football’s preseason camp is officially in full swing. The main story is the three-way starting quarterback battle between highly touted transfers Matthew Sluka (Holy Cross) and Hajj-Malik Williams (Campbell) as well as returning Rebels’ backup Cameron Friel.
UNLV was among the most sought after portal destinations in all of the Group of 5, as evidenced by their ability to land two of the top FCS QBs available. Still, Friel is being given what appears to be an equal opportunity to win the job himself after being with the program the last three seasons.
While Sluka’s credentials from his decorated career at Holy Cross likely give him the edge to start the competition, the reality is that each quarterback has major strengths that could result in playing time this year.
It wouldn't be a surprise to see this competition continue weeks into the season after each player responds in a game environment. That’s an especially pressing question for Sluka and Williams, who played in two lower-tier FCS conferences against talent that can only be described as mediocre.
"It's definitely a step up," Sluka said. "I would say just the speed of the game is a little bit faster. You can trust guys to make their plays a little bit more, jump balls are a little more allowing.
"Back at Holy Cross, sometimes you have to know who you're throwing it to before you throw it to them. So just overall, having guys out there who can be 'dawgs' and make plays has really been the biggest difference."
Versatility helps Sluka
Sluka’s main calling card is the gaudy numbers he put up at Holy Cross in addition to a strong performance against Boston College in a close loss last September.
He’s easily the most mobile of the group with 38 career rushing touchdowns. His arm strength is decent and his accuracy is a touch below that of his main competitor Williams.
But his ability to improvise outside of the pocket and make decisions on the fly likely positions him as the most skilled QB in the room.
Sluka had his best season for the Crusaders in 2022 as the team advanced to the FCS quarterfinals. He threw for 2,491 yards, 26 touchdowns and four interceptions while adding 1,234 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.
His numbers last season were essentially on par, just without the playoff run that granted Holy Cross two extra games. He threw for 1,723 yards and five interceptions while rushing for a career high 1,243 yards and nine touchdowns.
For Sluka, UNLV's Go-Go offense and his potential fit with offensive coordinator Brennan Marion played a deciding role in his choice of UNLV.
“It fits my style of play, and that was something I was looking for," Sluka said. "I didn't really want to go to a pro-style offense.
"I just don't think I would execute well or succeed. So I think playing coach Marion's offense was definitely something that brought me here, and they did such a good job recruiting and bringing in the weapons that we need to fit that offense (and to) play fast and play aggressive.”
Williams knows fast
Williams enters the competition with his own list of credentials to stand on, namely being the all-time career leader in passing yards (8,236) and touchdowns (58) at FCS mainstay Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina. Williams also was named a first-team freshman All-American in 2019 as well as being named the Big South Freshman of the Year as he threw for over 2,000 yards.
He’s the best passer in the Rebels’ quarterback room. His ball has a tad more zip to it than Sluka’s and he has displayed more ability to lead his receivers accurately and to fit the ball into small pockets that will be more frequent at the FBS level.
However, perhaps his most impressionable trait is his leadership ability. Even if Sluka emerges as the on-the-field No. 1 (which is far from guaranteed), it’s hard to imagine that he would overtake Williams and even the returning Friel as the emotional leader of the QB room.
Another strength for Williams is his experience playing in a hectic, unconventional offense. Campbell coach Anthony Weeden operated the "Chaos" offense, a frenetic pace gameplan similar to Marion's.
"This isn't my first time being in a unique offense," Williams said. "I think coach Weeden is going to be in coach Marion's position (as a highly touted FBS coordinator) in these next few years, so it did prepare me for doing something unique and making defenses rule break and all those things.
"I love keeping defenses on their toes. They don't really know what's going on and that's what I'm used to."
Friel has experience
Friel's on-field experience at UNLV has been less than impressive. However, he is the only player entering this competition with a year of experience in the offense. Friel is the obvious underdog in the competition, but in dry runs he has enough of arm and mobility to hang around the QB competition for at least the first few weeks of camp.
“Second year going into this offense, I feel like a lot of things that I'm hearing come a lot easier," Friel said. "The game is a lot slower for me now going into year four (at UNLV) compared to freshman year.
"Like, the game has slowed down a ton. I'm really seeing a lot more, a lot easier. It feels like the game is moving in slow motion, really."
All things considered, the competition is mainly between Sluka and Williams. So much so, the idea of a two-quarterback system was floated during the post-practice presser and acknowledged by coach Barry Odom.
“I've done that before in my career, but I think it would be too early to say yes to that until we see some substantial work", Odom said. "I like the skill set of the three guys. It'll be a great competitive fall, but not only at fall camp and not only at that position."
That’s probably something we will see during the first couple games of UNLV’s season.