It is now day five of the Nico Iamaleava saga, and there's a growing chance we may not see the former five-star QB suit up for a college program this upcoming season. Following his exit from Rocky Top, several programs view him as locker room cancer.
At the heart of it, this situation stems from a series of poor decisions made by Iamaleava’s camp, who misplayed their leverage. It began with his representatives trying to negotiate for more money. Oregon didn’t take kindly to that move and reportedly called Josh Heupel, sparking a larger controversy. Initially, Iamaleava and his family had no involvement, but once reports surfaced, his father took control of the situation.
“Unannounced to both Nic and Nico, their agent went behind their back to work negotiations once again. When he overplayed his hand, things got messy quickly. He attempted to save some face with the family by blaming the Tennessee side,” Ryan Roberts wrote.
Over the past few days, reporters and analysts have been trying to sort out who was primarily at fault. One analyst even criticized the NCAA for allowing the situation to spiral.
“[The NCAA] should be ashamed that now [Nico Iamaleava] is going to get targeted and pinpointed as the person being selfish, when he’s a kid still,” Dan Orlovsky said.
The only way to start repairing the damage may be for the Iamaleava camp to issue a public statement. Because of the situation, just one program appears to be a potential landing spot for him in the portal.
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“The only school I would highlight as a possibility right now is UCLA. Nico Iamaleava would really fill that hole for them, but there is a question of price point, I don’t think UCLA will get there,” Chris Hummer said.
At this point, UCLA seems like his only shot — and even that might not materialize. Iamaleava could head into the summer without a team, highlighting just how messy this situation has become.