Tennessee Vols fans might need to go ahead and prepare for life without QB Nico Iamaleava
As of Friday afternoon, no one knows if quarterback Nico Iamaleava will play for the Tennessee Vols in 2025. The former five-star quarterback, according to multiple reports (first reported by VolQuest), wasn't at Tennessee's practice on Friday morning, just a day after a report emerged from On3's Pete Nakos that stated that Iamaleava was in […]
As of Friday afternoon, no one knows if quarterback Nico Iamaleava will play for the Tennessee Vols in 2025.
The former five-star quarterback, according to multiple reports (first reported by VolQuest), wasn't at Tennessee's practice on Friday morning, just a day after a report emerged from On3's Pete Nakos that stated that Iamaleava was in the midst of negotiating a new NIL deal with UT.
According to ESPN's Chris Low, Iamaleava's absence on Friday came as a surprise to Tennessee's coaching staff.
That's probably not a good sign.
Low also reported that Iamaleava's reps wanted to see the quarterback's NIL deal upped to the $4 million range (his initial NIL deal was believed to be worth a little over $2.5 million annually).
The veteran ESPN reporter also reported that Tennessee officials said they wouldn't "blink" in light of those demands (which is interpreted as Tennessee wasn't going to meet those demands).
These kinds of negotiations happen in pro sports all the time. Just last winter, New York Mets owner Steve Cohen told fans to prepare for life without all-star first baseman Pete Alonso due to what he believed were unfair contract demands. The two sides eventually worked out a deal for the slugger to return on a two year deal with an opt-out.
College athletics doesn't work quite the same way due to a clear lack of structure. It's certainly possible that a deal between Iamaleava and Tennessee will be worked out. But it's just as possible that Iamaleava could hit the portal, where he would likely find a lucrative NIL deal.
I think there's a very real possibility that Iamaleava isn't the quarterback at Tennessee this fall, which would be unfortunate for the UT football program. Iamaleava's had a great spring and he appears poised to take a big step forward in 2025. The rising redshirt sophomore quarterback is an elite talent with rare athletic traits. Iamaleava is also one of just two quarterbacks that's led Tennessee to wins against Alabama and Florida in the same season over the last two decades (along with Hendon Hooker). Vols fans, in my opinion, should be rooting for the two sides to resolve the contract issue.
