Tennessee and Nico Iamaleava may be done with each other after an aggressive NIL push from the former five-star quarterback was met with resistance from AD Danny White and Vols head football coach Josh Heupel.
USA Today’s Matt Hayes jokingly floated UT swapping Iamaleava for USC’s Jayden Maiava.
“Because even if Iamaleava leaves Tennessee, you better believe there will be a line of teams trying to sign him. And someone, more than likely, will pay what he wants (hello, Southern California),” Hayes wrote.
“But it’s the principle that matters now. It’s the line in the sand that some program, at some point, has to draw.
“Cut Iamaleava loose, sign a quarterback from the spring portal and watch the team rally around him. Better yet, do a straight swap with Southern Cal: Iamaleava for Jayden Maiava.”
Hayes believes the Vols are better off letting Iamaleava walk than indulging his demands. The USA Today columnist urged White and Heupel not to give in to Iamaleava’s “11th-hour hijinks.”
“White and Heupel should publicly stand together and declare no player will hold a program hostage. Not now, not ever,” Hayes wrote.
“The storied program of Gen. Neyland and Johnny Drum and Peyton and I Will Give My All For Tennessee Today won’t stand for this crap. And won’t give another penny to Iamaleava.
“Or any other player, now or in the future, who pulls these 11th-hour hijinks.”
Iamaleava’s contract demands make college football seem more like the NFL. With that said, NIL contract negotiations go too much in a player’s favor for a school to consider giving up assets to sign a player they can add via the transfer portal.