Tennessee Vols redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava was hit with an extreme dose of disrespect this week from a national college football analyst. 

On Monday, On3's Josh Newberg said that he's leaning toward calling Iamaleava a bust, which is one of the most preposterous takes I've heard in quite some time. 

"Just looking at that 2024 résumé, we have some respectable numbers," said Newberg while discussing Iamaleava. "Not terrible at 19 (touchdowns) and five (interceptions) and a 70.6 QBR. But not eye-popping numbers. So, the question for Tennessee fans is does this production match up with his NIL earnings at Tennessee. Remember, about two years ago, I believe The Athletic reported Nico Iamaleava signed with Spyre Group and he was scheduled to make, or is making, $8 million over three years. That's a lot of money. 

"So, we get to boom or bust. I know it's really too early to officially say it, but I'm going to say it. Right now, I'm leaning bust. What we do know is he's going to be the starter, they're putting the pieces around him. Mike Matthews is returning. And it's not over yet. But I know he's not, as of now, what you would call a boom, five-star, No. 3 quarterback in the country — especially if you factor in his ranking, the amount of NIL resources being being put into this position. So you guys, maybe you disagree with me, but right now I'm leaning bust for Nico Iamaleava."  

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Oh boy. I have some thoughts. And this is nothing toward Newberg, it's just one take and we all have takes that someone disagrees with. Let's just get that out of the way. I've seen plenty of takes from Newberg and I think he's had some great ones. I'm just nowhere near being on the same page with him on this one. 

Alright, back to Nico and the idea that he could be a bust. 

This idea that players should produce based on the amount of NIL money they're receiving is completely absurd to me. It will never ever make sense. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. Just because a college athlete receives a check doesn't suddenly change what kind of player they are or how they'll develop. I think we all forget that college is still the next step in an athlete's development before they become professional players. Just because a quarterback gets paid $3 million (or whatever big number you want to use) to play the position as a 20 year old doesn't mean they're going to transform into a finished product. Whether it's a 20 year old player that's earning millions or a 20 year old player that's scrounging for change to buy some Taco Bell, it's still a 20 year old player. No amount of money changes the developmental timeline for a player. And it never will. 

And speaking of the money, basically every single starting quarterback that plays at a Power-4 conference is getting compensated at this point. Many of them are earning more than Iamaleava. But because Iamaleava was one of the first players to (somewhat) publicly ink an NIL deal, he's the poster boy for NIL. Almost anytime Iamaleava is mentioned by a national media outlet, his NIL deal is also mentioned. 

No one in the history of college football has ever faced the kind of expectations that Iamaleava is facing because of the publicity surrounding his NIL deal. There's a stigma attached to him because of that deal and it seems like he can't escape it. That's not his fault. That's the national media's fault. I can't imagine the pressure that Nico has felt the last two years because of those expectations. It seems like folks in the national media can't wait for his time at Tennessee to end so they can tell the world that the Vols wasted their money. No one else has faced that kind of pressure to the same extent as Iamaleava. No one knows how that feels. So anyone suggesting he should just grin and bear it should just stop right there. Try walking a mile in Nico's shoes. 

As for the production aspect, I'm not sure what more you could ask for from Nico in his first season as a starter. Now, full disclosure: I couldn't care less about his stats. Analytics and metrics are fine for trying to forecast production or explaining how well a player played over the course of a season. They're a useful tool that can help coaches and personnel folks make informed decisions. 

But at the end of the day, it's all about wins. That's the objective. Winning games. Not compiling the best stats. 

Nico went 10-3 in his first full year as a starter (he's 11-3 overall as a starter at UT). He led the Vols to wins against Florida and Alabama. And Tennessee reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. There haven't been many seasons like that in the last 20 years for the Volunteers. 

Could Nico have played better in 2024? Of course he could've. But again, he's not a finished product. He turned 20 years old just as the 2024 season got underway! Nico is going to continue to improve and take big steps forward the longer he's in Tennessee's program. The idea that he was supposed to be the savior in his first year as a starter was completely unfair. Nico was always going to be an unfinished product in his first year as a starter. 

There's nothing — and I mean absolutely nothing — to suggest that Nico's name should be anywhere near the word bust. He's a Citrus Bowl MVP, a multiple-time SEC freshman of the week, a College Football Playoff quarterback, he's 1-0 against Alabama, he's 1-0 against Florida, and he's undefeated in Neyland Stadium. And he's not even 21 yet. 

If Nico isn't living up to the expectations that you had for him, then that's a you problem. 

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