Recent comments from college head coach make one of Tennessee's NIL deals look brilliant
When reports started circulating that the Tennessee Vols were planning to give five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava an NIL deal worth an alleged $8 million, the news was met with heavy criticism. Rival fan bases and national analysts openly questioned why the Vols (UT's collectives) would be willing to hand out that much cash to a […]
When reports started circulating that the Tennessee Vols were planning to give five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava an NIL deal worth an alleged $8 million, the news was met with heavy criticism.
Rival fan bases and national analysts openly questioned why the Vols (UT's collectives) would be willing to hand out that much cash to a player that's never taken a snap in college football.
Nearly two years later, that alleged $8 million deal, which translates to $2 million per year, looks like a brilliant move by Tennessee — at least when you consider recent comments from Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule.
The Nebraska head coach said this week that a good quarterback in the transfer portal costs anywhere from $1 million to $2 million.
That's right in line with what Iamaleava, the No. 1 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class, is allegedly earning per year. If Nico had committed to another program and then hit the portal, that's the type of deal that a program would likely need to hand out to land him.
Suddenly, that NIL deal doesn't look quite as silly as some rival fans and national talking heads suggested. Tennessee saw where NIL deals and the transfer market was heading. And because they had the foresight to identify a talented player and make a financial commitment to help secure him, they're not on the transfer quarterback carousel this offseason (which also means they have an elite quarterback that's already familiar with the system that's ready to go in 2024….they don't have to "buy" a quarterback and then teach him the system).
Everyone is learning how to navigate this new world of college football. And Tennessee is navigating it as well as any program in the country.
Another bowl game option could be in play for the Tennessee Vols
The Vols will learn their bowl game fate on Sunday
