The NIL era of college football has made spring ball much more interesting than it used to be. Coaches are worried about playing spring games because of the transfer portal.
Now, players are staging holdouts for millions before making their final decision on where to play in the fall.
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava made headlines this week when he chose not to show up at practice before the team’s scrimmage. Per ESPN, Iamaleava is seeking an NIL deal worth $4 million, 1.6 million more than he’s set to make for the upcoming season.
College football program moves on from Nico Iamaleava
Per Pete Thamel of ESPN, Tennessee is choosing to move on from Iamaleava after his actions this week.
“Tennessee is moving on from starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, sources told ESPN, in the wake of his decision to not attend practice on Friday amid NIL contract discussions with the school,” Thamel wrote. “Tennessee coach Josh Heupel informed the team at meetings Saturday morning. Tennessee plays its spring game Saturday afternoon. Sources said Iamaleava missing practice Friday proved to be the tipping point.
“The standoff between the two sides stemmed from Iamaleava’s contract, and the school decided to cut ties after those talks emerged publicly this week and Iamaleava subsequently skipped practice.”
Not worth $4 million to the Tennessee Vols football team
Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions for the Volunteers in 2024, his redshirt freshman season. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining. He sat behind Dallas Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton III in 2023.
Iamaleava led Tennessee to a 24-17 win over Alabama on Oct. 19. However, the six-foot-six, 215-pound quarterback struggled against Ohio State in the first round of the College Football Playoff. He went 14-of-31 for 104 yards, adding 47 yards on the ground the Volunteers’ 42-17 loss to OSU.
Many fans on social media were concerned about Iamaleava’s antics, especially considering his poor play in the SEC. He threw just nine touchdown passes against SEC opponents.
Giving into Iamaleava’s demands could have been bad for the sport, as mediocre players would be able to hold programs hostage.
Regardless of the outcome on Saturday, college football needs to fix their NIL problem by creating a system with multi-year contracts.
For More Football News:
Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and NFL news, click here!
