National college football writer makes strong statement about Vols QB Nico Iamaleava and his NIL deal
There's been a lot of talk over the last few weeks about Tennessee Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava and his lucrative NIL deal. Almost all of that talk, however, centers on the legality (under NCAA rules) of Iamaleava's NIL deal. The NCAA's investigation into Iamaleava's NIL deal, and the subsequent lawsuit by the state of Tennessee […]
There's been a lot of talk over the last few weeks about Tennessee Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava and his lucrative NIL deal.
Almost all of that talk, however, centers on the legality (under NCAA rules) of Iamaleava's NIL deal. The NCAA's investigation into Iamaleava's NIL deal, and the subsequent lawsuit by the state of Tennessee against the NCAA, has dominated the discussion.
CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli, though, took a different approach this week when discussing Iamaleava's NIL deal.
Fornelli broke down Iamaleava's first career start — Tennessee's win against Iowa in the Citrus Bowl — to determine whether or not the young quarterback is worth the money.
While it's still a little early in Iamaleava's college career, Fornelli saw enough in his start against Iowa to suggest that the former five-star quarterback is likely "worth" the NIL deal (believed to be north of $8 million) that he's receiving.
From CBS Sports: Consider me an Iamaleava fan. Tennessee's offense took a step back last season with Milton. After scoring 43.4 points per game in conference play during the 2022 season, the Vols averaged only 24.4 points per SEC game in 2023. Only Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State were worse. I'm confident the Vols will get much closer to the 40 points per game threshold with Iamaleava at the helm next season than 24.
I don't know how much Iamaleava is getting in NIL, but my read is he's worth it.
(You can read Fornelli's entire breakdown here.)
Ultimately, no amount of NIL money is going to win games for the Vols or any other college program. It's up to the players on the field receiving those NIL deals to execute and play at a high level.
Nico could end up being the best quarterback we've seen at Tennessee since Peyton Manning was slinging passes all across the south in the mid 90s. If Nico plays at that kind of level, his $8.5 million NIL deal will look like one heck of a bargain.
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