NIL rears its ugly head

Much ballyhooed quarterback Nico Iamaleava is no longer with Tennessee. The Vols have said “thanks but no thanks” to the once high-valued prospect. His destination is, as of this writing, unknown.

I say good riddance.

Iamaleava came to Tennessee in the same crop of recruits that included Arch Manning, nephew of Peyton and Eli. Depending on which recruiting guide you read, Iamaleava was either the No. 1 or No. 2 quarterback prospect that year. He joined the Vols as they were preparing for their 2023 Orange Bowl battle with No. 7 Clemson.

Iamaleava was, at the time, one of Tennessee’s biggest fans. You saw him all over social media, extolling the virtues of being a future Volunteer and did a nice job as an ex officio recruiter. People had high hopes for this kid.

And why not. He is 6-6, 220 lbs., has some decent wheels and possesses and strong arm. It seemed there was some potential upside for this youngster. After biding his time behind Joe Milton, he guided the Vols to a 35-0 victory over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl after Milton bolted for the NFL.

Following his performance in Orlando, there were high hopes and lofty expectations. Sadly, those monumental performances were few and far between with Tennessee. It just seemed Tennessee fans were always waiting for that spectacular play, that key pass on third down, that acrobatic 15-yard rush to get a first down, just something.

Sure it happened, but not often enough, for the Big Orange fans’ liking.

I was reluctant to criticize because I thought he had a lot of upside and that he was just adjusting to life in college football and the SEC.

Then we saw what happened in Columbus four months ago. Iamaleava was in over his head. Yes, he had an opportunity to get better but it isn’t going to happen at Neyland.

The reason? Iamaleava, the first college-football bonus baby, was set to make $8 million to play at Tennessee, thanks to Name-Image-Likeness. The Supreme Court took a look at how the monopolistic NCAA was conducting business and took control away from the NCAA and the colleges and gave it to the players.

That’s like giving a loaded gun to a group of pre-schoolers.

So, what happened?

There were a few other quarterbacks out there who watched their stock rise and who jumped into the transfer portal for greener pastures. For example, Georgia’s Carson Beck jumped into the transfer portal for a $4 million payday at Miami (Fla.). Bryce Underwood is set to make $10 million at Michigan.

Nico wanted a piece of that action.

This just in: he wasn’t worth that kind of investment.

Yeah, he led the Vols into the College Football Playoffs with a 10-2 mark, but was that 10-2 campaign really that robust. Sure, the Vols beat Bama and Florida, both in Knoxville but lost at Georgia and Arkansas, both on the road. Meanwhile, Iamaleava was Jekyll and Hyde.

Friday, Iamaleava was a no-show for practice prior to Tennessee’s spring game Saturday. He was holding out for more money. Saturday morning, Iamaleava was no longer with the program. Tennessee determined that $2 million could be better spent.

And, alas, college football has become another professional football league. College football free agency is now in session.

As former Alabama coach Nick Saban warned, players aren’t interested in playing for a program anymore. They are interested in that almighty dollar. The players, in large part, are only interested in the pay day.

So how is this bad? Tennessee now has to start from ground zero at quarterback once again. Tennessee has four-star prospect Jake Merklinger and five-star recruit George McIntyre (grandson of former Vanderbilt coach by the same name) in the bullpen. Plus, don’t you know there’s a Group of 4 quarterback prospect out there, chomping at the bit to jump in the portal and beam himself to Knoxville. I think those two quarterbacks are going to be fine, but it’s tough to change gears when you are half way up a hill.

Another thing: now, Tennessee, despite the circumstances, could get a reputation for not paying its prospects, which could affect the portal and recruiting. And don’t think for a moment that  coaches around the country won’t use this propaganda to their advantage.

Say what you will about Nick Saban, but he has been right from the get-go about NIL and the portal. This model isn’t sustainable. Yes, I believe players should receive some kind of compensation, but not at the expense of the game itself.

If college football doesn’t lasso this problem immediately, if not sooner, we’re going to see more and more of these kinds of holdouts. That’s not good for the game.

If the powers that be don’t act, college football will implode.

Jim Steele is a correspondent for Richardson Media Group and may be reached on X @steelesports or via email at pressbox1@gmail.com.