Nico Iamaleava has made himself a hot rod in the college football news cycle with his NIL asking price rising and the Vols not matching, causing the former five-star recruit to miss practice Friday ahead of the team’s spring game exhibition and transfer portal rumors to sprout.
Neyland Stadium not having Iamaleava for what should be an unofficial opening salvo for a program’s next season is a surefire way to send a program into a panic.
USA Today’s Matt Hayes doesn’t believe Iamaleava is worth the trouble. Hayes believes Iamaleava is half the player Hendon Hooker was in Rocky Top during an 11-win season in 2022.
He also believes it’s best for Tennessee to let Iamaleava leave.
“A guy half the player of former Tennessee star quarterback Hendon Hooker is holding the Volunteers program hostage,” Hayes wrote.
“And now it’s time to cut him loose.
“It’s time for Tennessee athletic director Danny White, one of the nation’s most proactive thinkers, to give coach Josh Heupel a contract extension to cut ties with quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who missed practice Friday while his representatives reportedly are trying to renegotiate his NIL deal.
“Less than a week before the opening of the spring transfer portal.
“Less than four months before the beginning of the 2025 season.
“In other words, guess who have leverage? Guess who knows it, and is trying to force Tennessee to pay top dollar for a quarterback who in 2024 was barely among the upper half of the quarterbacks in the best conference in college football.”
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Iamaleava and, particularly his father, burned goodwill with the college football world, holding the Vols up ahead of the Orange and White game and belittling reporters relaying the story in a heel turn for the ages.
Hayes was brutal about Iamaleava’s statistically average season. Before, Iamaleava flew under the radar from his team’s success.
When you act like a pro, you get criticized like one. Iamaleava’s NFL-style holdout isn’t endearing to old-school SEC fans, but Iamaleava may be able to have a more pro-like atmosphere playing for a home-state fanbase like USC or UCLA.