Many college football programs held spring scrimmage games over the weekend, but one elite program spent the latter part of last week dealing with an entitled quarterback who wanted to milk all he could out of the school’s name, image, and likeness (NIL) program. It didn’t end well, but for which party?
The University of Tennessee ended the 2024-2025 season with a record of 10-3 and a final (post-national championship game) ranking of #9. We can credit much of the team’s success last season to quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who had begun to consider transferring from the Volunteers almost as soon as the team’s season ended.
“After Tennessee’s 2024 season ended in Columbus, Ohio, with a lopsided loss to eventual national champion Ohio State in the first round of the 12-team College Football Playoff, Iamaleava’s camp had explored the possibility of a transfer, including engaging in conversations with representatives at Miami, who eventually signed Georgia transfer Carson Beck, paying him more than $3 million,” write David Ubben and Ralph D. Russo at The Athletic.
People with knowledge of Tennessee football and the Iamaleava family insisted that everything was fine and that Nico was happy in Knoxville, but the cracks were hard to ignore. Nico’s father, Nic Iamaleava, posted on X that there were “More games being played off the field than on the field”; in the same post, he referred to one journalist by an ugly name for asking about the situation.
Recommended: One College Football Program Is Offering Fans the Chance to 'Feast for Free' This Fall
Circumstances came to a head on Friday. The Athletic reports:
Friday morning after Iamaleava’s father hit send on that post, Tennessee took to the practice field for its final workout before Saturday’s Orange & White Game.
The Vols’ starting quarterback was a no-show.
Iamaleava hadn’t informed Tennessee he planned to be absent, according to a team source. No one on staff could get in contact with him throughout Friday.
And when Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel walked off the practice field, he learned there was still no word from Iamaleava.
In that moment, Heupel decided the program would be moving on from Iamaleava, who had mixed results in his first year as a starter as a redshirt freshman…
Iamaleava was good, but not good enough for Tennessee’s staff and collective to decide to satisfy a demand nearing the top of the quarterback market at $4 million, according to the source briefed on the conversations. They added that nothing materialized into any meaningful negotiations.
Iamaleava is now planning to enter the transfer portal when it opens on Wednesday. He’ll undoubtedly be the biggest name in the portal.
“The rising sophomore, who submitted paperwork to enter the portal according to two people briefed on the situation after a contract dispute with the Vols, will be the biggest name in what was otherwise expected to be 10 uneventful days,” write Sam Khan and Antonio Morales at The Athletic. “The spring portal window, which ends April 25, was not expected to be filled with fireworks by coaches and front offices around the country, but Iamaleava’s presence changes that.”
Fans responded by burning the quarterback’s jersey or altering it for the spring game:
— Drake Hickman (@HickmanDrake) April 12, 2025
Seeing some unique #8 jerseys for Tennessee’s Orange & White Spring Game pic.twitter.com/cxxThaaZNd
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) April 12, 2025
Someone asked the Volunteers’ baseball coach, Tony Vitello, about the situation and the craziness of NIL, and he replied, “I don’t like it. It’s part of the deal. And all I want every year when we come to work is a bunch of guys that want to be at our place, and if they don’t, that’s fine. That’s just the world we live in now. And if you’re a Vol football fan, just watch the movie Friday.” (In other words, “Bye Felicia,” or more appropriately, “Bye Nico!”)
Tennessee’s athletic director and legendary retired coach Philip Fulmer told The Athletic, “I’m proud of the stand we took as a university.” I’m not one to side with the University of Tennessee on anything, but the program made the right move in letting Iamaleava jump ship and enter the transfer portal.
Normally, we would expect just about everybody to side with the player over the school, but that’s not what we’re seeing in this situation. And I think it’s because NIL has gotten way out of hand. Here’s what college football star-turned-Fox college football analyst Emmanuel Acho has to say:
The completely fractured and decaying state of college football, and the Nico Iamaleava situation.
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) April 12, 2025
A nuanced take: pic.twitter.com/TOyZe9LqOK
ESPN’s Courtney Cronin weighed in on X, posting, “Iamaleava’s camp looks like they tried to use the portal window opening as a way to pressure Tennessee into paying him more money, and Tennessee drew a very hard line in the sand. Good for them.”
Recommended: Could a Proposal Floating Around College Athletic Conferences Upend the NCAA As We Know It?
Who stands to take the biggest hit from this? Iamaleava — because he’ll have to deal with the backlash and the damage to his image, and that’s due in part to the advice he’s getting from the people around him.
“Some at Tennessee believe that Iamaleava’s decision is not his own, but that he’s following his father’s lead in pursuing the most financially lucrative landing spot with less regard for the fit on the football field or the timing of his exit,” Ubben and Russo note.
An attorney who specialized in NIL issues posted on X:
Nico Iamaleava needs to put up walls between him and his handlers. Get in front of the negativity and rehabilitate his image asap. I hear he’s a good person. But he’s getting terrible advice. The market for his services in college and potentially at the pro level is collapsing.
— Darren Heitner (@DarrenHeitner) April 13, 2025
“The delusion I’ve seen in this specific instance would make you laugh until you realize someone’s career is hanging in the balance,” Heitner said in a later post in the thread. “Then, you really start to feel for the player and pray he replaces the significantly ego-driven individuals with reputable counsel.”
On3’s Andy Staples opined that the situation between Tennessee and Iamaleava “never had to reach this point, but the QB got bad advice.”
Is the Iamaleava situation a tipping point for NIL? The Athletic’s Chris Vannini thinks so. He writes that Iamaleava’s “public breakup with Tennessee has given some leverage back to the schools. Had Tennessee and its collective blinked, more stars elsewhere might’ve started public holdouts. Instead, Vols fans have backed coach Josh Heupel, and players probably know the public won’t be on their side.”
Ever since NIL became prominent, plenty of us have stood athwart sports history crying, “NIL is out of hand!” Maybe what we needed was a definitive catalyst to allow NIL to swing back toward reasonability. Maybe the Nico Iamaleava situation will serve as that catalyst. The trouble is that only time will tell, so things might get crazier before they get more sane.
Sports are a lot of fun, but sometimes it can be tough to cut through the woke nonsense that has invaded every part of our culture these days. You can help us report on culture through an unfiltered lens by becoming a PJ Media VIP. Not only does your VIP membership come with some terrific benefits — exclusive content, podcasts, access to the comments section, and an ad-free experience — but it also helps us stay independent and avoid the self-appointed gatekeepers of the left-wing narrative.
There’s never been a better time to join the cool kids as a PJ Media VIP because you can get 60% off a new membership when you use the code FIGHT!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member