National CFB reporter is trying to create a false narrative about Vols QB Nico Iamaleava
A national college football reporter is attempting to create a false narrative about Tennessee Vols freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava
CBS Sports college football reporter/writer Dennis Dodd has never been shy about throwing shade at the Tennessee Vols, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he's already trying to create a false narrative about UT freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
Iamaleava is believed to be the quarterback that received an $8 million NIL deal which was detailed by The Athletic early last year.
The Athletic never named the quarterback that received the $8 million NIL deal but several clues pointed to it being Nico.
When the details of the $8 million deal first emerged, it was a bit surprising. In a sport that worked extremely hard for years to keep its dirty secrets a secret, it was shocking to see the details of a contract for a recruit go public.
In the year since the deal was reported on, NIL agreements have become as common as a recruit tweeting out their offers. They're just part of college football now. By the way, $8 million, in retrospect, looks like a bargain considering Florida's collective was going to pay 4-star quarterback Jaden Rashada a little over $13 million before the deal fell through.
Despite the Rashada deal and the growing number of rich NIL deals across the sport, Dodd still felt like it was necessary to take a shot at Tennessee and Iamaleava this week.
In Dodd's "23 things for spring" column that he wrote this week, he mentions Iamaleava's supposed NIL deal and suggests that some folks are already saying he's being overpaid.
Iamaleava was the early NIL poster boy reportedly signing a three-year, bonus-laden $8 million NIL deal with a Tennessee collective. One small detail: Iamaleava, a five-star prospect from California, must beat out veteran Joe Milton, who can throw it from here to next Thursday and is familiar with Josh Heupel's explosive offense. The quarterback battle winner must somehow resemble Hendon Hooker. How Iamaleava lives up to his contract will be mixed in with new offensive coordinator Joey Hazle. You won't believe this — actually, you will — but there are already whispers Iamaleava isn't worth the $8M. Tennessee is covered as closely as the White House.
"There are already whispers Iamaleava isn't worth the $8 million" is a sentence that I didn't expect to see written this spring.
But here we are.
Iamaleava hasn't played a down of football at Tennessee yet. He hasn't even gone through a spring practice yet. And somehow, guys like Dodd are already questioning if Iamaleava is worth the big NIL deal he supposedly received.
Talk about unfair to a kid who should still be in high school right now.
For what it's worth, I haven't heard these "whispers" that Dodd is referencing. And everything that's been coming out of Tennessee in regard to Nico has been extremely positive.
Nearly everyone associated with the program has raved about his maturity, willingness to learn, and his attitude as a teammate.
Dodd suggesting that folks are saying Nico isn't worth the $8 million is just him taking a shot at Tennessee because that's what he loves to do.
Remember, this is the guy who said two years ago that Tennessee wouldn't be relevant in the SEC anytime soon.
Dodd: "It’s a program that thinks of itself better than it is. It doesn’t compete for championships, it last won one in 1998. They won the first BCS title. They’re not in an orbit with Georgia, Florida in their division, certainly not Alabama, and I would say Texas A&M and LSU from the other side. So it has a great history, but it doesn’t have a great program right now. That’s not to say they can’t get it back. But now you’re looking at spending money to hire a new coach, new staff, trying to compete. Paying all that money and trying to get relevant in the SEC. That’s just not going to happen anytime soon.”
There's obviously no need for Vols fans to pay much attention to Dodd, but it's still a shame that he's trying to create a narrative about Nico that simply isn't true.
Just like with Dodd's proclamation about Tennessee football two years ago that turned out to be wildly incorrect, this note about Iamaleava will soon prove to be nonsense.
