Nico Iamaleava has shaken up the entire college football world with one decision. He probably carries the strongest testament of how NIL negatively shapes the college football world. The second-year quarterback came fresh off a breakout freshman season at Knoxville. He was all set to make a greater impact in the rolling year, but money got in the way. The QB phenom reportedly sought a new multimillion-dollar deal under his radar. But the Tennessee higher-ups couldn’t reach the same page as Nico’s demand. Guess the outshot? Yes, as drastic as it could be – he historically held off practices until they settled the dust. Finally, in a tiff, Tennessee chose to let him go. And CFB critic Paul Finebaum didn’t come out any softer when addressing the shift.
Statistically, 2024 didn’t look like all sweet and sugar for Iamaleava. He has shown a flash of brilliance as a freshman, scoring a total of 2,616 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, and five interceptions. In an overwhelming season opener against Chattanooga, Iamaleava stunned the crowd with a straight 22 to 24 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Vols to a grand 69-3 win. Analyst David Pollack was quick to have him on the top SEC quarterback list for the year 2025. But Paul Finebaum, on the other hand, has always been a slow burner when it comes to judgment. After the Vols received a 42-17 blow from the Buckeyes, Finebaum took a huge dig at Nico’s maturity.
It came down almost 4 months, but Finebaum’s opinion on Iamaleava didn’t change. He thinks Tennessee did a great job by letting him go. Because he was more of a liability than an asset. “It is the right call, and it’s the right call because they’ve already been held hostage to a degree by Nico and his people. They went to bat for him about a year ago, they fought the NCAA, which wanted to rule him ineligible because of the recruiting, and they stood by, and they kept his eligibility. They gave him a chance, and by the way, he helped to reward them by helping Tennessee get to the playoffs last year, but the bigger story here is beyond Nico. This is an inflection point in the history of college football. This is the first time in this NIL era that we have had a literal holdout.” Finebaum explained in the ESPN College Football Show on April 12.
What is a norm in the NFL is still taboo in college football, for obvious reasons. So, Nico holding out for a better NIL deal certainly didn’t carry a good message. Of course, with the NIL trends, players have the right to ask for a bigger paycheck, and if not, they can seek out other options in the portal. But with only a few hours left on the clock for the Spring game, if your QB 1 keeps you hanging in balance on his status, it’s a humiliation. But a little twist! Humiliation wrapped in blessings.
Finebaum thinks this would give Vols HC Josh Heupel a chance to scout through the portal and maybe regain the guys they have lost. Already, Jake Merklinger is there as the de facto QB 1. So, it ultimately bought Heupel a bit of time to experiment with his QB room and maybe, just maybe, come out with something better, brighter ahead of the regular season. After all, Finebaum deems Nico as “not that great“. He probed into his SEC rankings and found somewhere around six and eight, denoting a clear mediocre rank. So, losing an average QB 1 might come to their favor in reverse. “If this season does not go well, I think Tennessee fans will look at that and go, ‘Okay, at least you did the right thing.’” Finebaum dished the bottom line.
But what’s next for Iamaleava? Sure, he is hitting the portal as one of the most valuable QBs in the market. But which team can have their luck with the former Vols QB?
Where can Nico Iamaleava find his next collegiate home in the portal?
Paul Finebaum has a take on it as well. The bond between Tennessee and Nico Iamaleava is a lingering past now. Now, the SEC Network journalist is trying to guess what team can best fit the 20-year-old. As per his past ties with the West Coast, Finebaum believes teams like Oregon and USC can make the cut. There are some bumps on the road as well. Because of his tumultuous end with Tennessee’s top-tier team might hesitate before taking him in. If they choose to let it pass, Iamaleava is a catch.
“He grew up in California, so you have to look in that direction,” Finebaum stated, via SportsCenter. “One interesting part of this is that he can’t go anywhere within the SEC. There is a new clause — in the spring portal, you can’t go within the SEC. Now, you can do that in the portal that ends after the season. So, I would have to guess the West Coast… Oregon… USC. But I wonder how excited schools are going to be to deal with his representatives.”
Finebaum also mentioned that his family had a role to play in the NIL conundrum, and he really wonders how much the big powerhouses will show interest in dealing with a scandalous transfer, so to speak. Even if they show, Finebaum sends an ultimatum. “This is a very nasty situation. It has left a stench across college football. So, I would say buyer beware,” the veteran analyst put the teams on notice before being tapped in a lure. It will be interesting to see how things pan out with Nico and Tennessee going forward in their separate ways.
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