“I need a job ASAP,” former Portland State linebacker Ian Sluss recently lamented on Twitter. After wrapping up his social science degree in winter term, Sluss is as uncertain about his future as many other graduates.
Fighting for a chance
“I need a job ASAP,” former Portland State linebacker Ian Sluss recently lamented on Twitter. After wrapping up his social science degree in winter term, Sluss is as uncertain about his future as many other graduates.
As he assesses his options after PSU, Sluss continues to work toward a potential future in the NFL. Last season he was the leader of a young Viking defense, recovering four fumbles and nabbing four interceptions to go along with his 104 tackles. Sluss earned second-team All-American honors for his effort and was named the FCS Linebacker of the Year by the College Football Performance Awards.
Though he was given plenty of accolades, all 30 NFL teams passed on Sluss in the draft this April. The 23-year-old has spent the spring staying in shape and fighting to land a spot on an NFL roster. Sluss initially planned to go to Tampa Bay for a tryout with the Buccaneers but never made it to Florida for the mini-camp. Instead he went to New England, where the Patriots signed Sluss to a rookie free-agent contract on April 30.
The dream was deferred just a week later however, when the Patriots cut Sluss after rookie camps. But as he has demonstrated throughout his college career, a setback on the field isn’t enough to keep Sluss out of the game.
Despite earning All-California Interscholastic Federation honors in his senior year at Rancho Buena Vista High School as the anchor of the surprise state finalists’ defense, Sluss failed to earn any scholarship offers from Division I schools. He then spent two seasons at the University of Redlands, earning all-conference honors in both seasons. Eventually, the high cost of the school combined with his belief that he was capable of playing football at a higher level caused Sluss to leave Redlands in search of a Division I opportunity.
“It was risky deciding to leave school. I was very happy at Redlands. I had to take a semester off and didn’t much want to do that,” Sluss said in an interview on GoViks.com last October. “When I came [to Portland], I felt this was the place for me. I was really grateful for the opportunity to show what I could do.”
After a redshirt season in 2010, Sluss sat out the 2011 season opener with an injury but came back to appear in 10 games as a junior. He led the 2011 squad with 13.5 tackles for a loss, showing glimpses of his explosive potential. As injuries and graduations forced head coach Nigel Burton to play a slew of freshmen and sophomores during a trying 2012 season, it was Sluss who held the unit together with his on-field performance and his locker room leadership.
His defining game came on Oct. 27 last year in a road matchup with the University of California, Davis. Sluss broke up two passes, recovered two fumbles and intercepted Aggies quarterback Randy Wright twice, returning one pick for a touchdown in the 49-21 victory. It was the breakthrough performance that showcased his knack for big plays behind the line of scrimmage and in coverage, and Sluss was declared the Sports Network FCS National Player of the Week as a result.
Now, with school behind him, Sluss continues his quest to make it to the NFL, though he has also considered teaching, coaching or even following his father into law enforcement. Regardless of which field he ultimately settles on, though, Sluss has shown the type of perseverance that should serve him well in the future.
