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So excited to go to the SEC with these Tennessee assholes


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Posted
1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

Seems rather miraculous that this isn't far more common.  

It's getting harder to believe that college football involves any sort of personal loyalty or school pride, if it ever did.

There’s a “man bites dog” thing going on here, which makes the situation seems worse than it is. Plenty of players still love their program and school, but that doesn’t make for an interesting headline. We hear way more about the drama. 
 

Not saying everything is hunky dory, just that it isn’t as bad as it seems. 

Posted (edited)
8 minutes ago, Park Gothic said:

There’s a “man bites dog” thing going on here, which makes the situation seems worse than it is. Plenty of players still love their program and school, but that doesn’t make for an interesting headline. We hear way more about the drama. 
 

Not saying everything is hunky dory, just that it isn’t as bad as it seems. 

Nah this is bad. Helicopter dad shopping his kid since December. Demanding double the cost for his kid that below average. Tennessee got wind of the shopping because Lanning called Heupel, allegedly. He skips out on practice and his dad is on social media calling reporters bitches. 

Edited by BurntOrange&White
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Posted
4 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Nah this is bad. Helicopter dad shopping his kid since December. Demanding double the cost for his kid that below average. Tennessee got wind of the shopping because Lanning called Heupel, allegedly. He skips out on practice and his dad is on social media calling reporters bitches. 

Indeed. But my point is that nobody is writing a story about the other 84 guys on scholarship who are apparently loyal to Tennessee and aren’t creating drama. Because that isn’t remarkable or attention getting. 

They’re writing about the one headass who’s causing drama because that’s what people want to read about. 

That distorts the problem making it seem more widespread than it is. 

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Posted
Just now, Park Gothic said:

Indeed. But my point is that nobody is writing a story about the other 84 guys on scholarship who are apparently loyal to Tennessee and aren’t creating drama. Because that isn’t remarkable or attention getting. 

They’re writing about the one headass who’s causing drama because that’s what people want to read about. 

That distorts the problem making it seem more widespread than it is. 

No they’re writing about it because he signed a 4 year 8 million deal out of HS to go to Tennessee. Now he’s wanting double his yearly money without having play to back it up. They’re writing about it because he literally did not show up for practice because he’s “holding out.” He’s the first player to hold out and was the first player to sign a massive NIL deal. That is why they’re writing about it, you’re overthinking this way too much

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Posted
11 hours ago, Clintonaldo said:


I am close to several in our collective. Nico is a good kid. It’s his dad that’s the problem. As of this morning I thought this would be his last year but now I can almost guarantee he is gone.

Dude is 20 and will be 21 at the start of the next season.  If it's his dad who is the issue it's time for Nico to grow up, be a man and tell his meddling dad to go fuck himself.  

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Posted
1 minute ago, TexasExe14 said:

Good choice. I thought he was a true freshman for some reason. Didn’t know he sat behind Milton.

He is not good. Will someone even pay him what he was getting before? 2-2.5 mil?

Market is limited. He can’t transfer to a sec school and a lot of schools already have a lot of money tied to their qbs.  Not saying he and pops won’t get the bag but it may not be as easy as they thought

Posted

Sooo according to the couple of minutes I spent on a vols message board. 90% of the people are saying they will be better without him…really? He was the main reason they made the playoffs. 5% say that he was tampered with by another sec school. And the last 5% are clearly upset that he’s leaving but don’t want to go against the grain. I understand the importance of showing the team that no one is bigger than the team but damn that’s quite the player to show the team with. 

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Posted
2 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Lincoln Riley, for all of his flaws, typically knows a good QB when he sees one. I doubt he goes after Iamaleava because, frankly, the guy sucks. It’s laughable he wants a raise. If he was at Texas and Texas had Owens and Lacey behind him, I assume they’d tell him to “not the door hit ya where the good lord split ya” and move right along. 

Obligatory

 

 

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Posted

Pete Nakos: Where will Nico Iamaleava land in spring transfer portal?

Quote

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is expected to enter the transfer portal, multiple sources tell On3. The former five-star quarterback has started the process of filing paperwork to enter the portal when it opens next week. On Thursday, On3 reported that Iamaleava and Tennessee were actively negotiating a new NIL deal ahead of the 2025 season. And on Friday, the redshirt sophomore quarterback was absent from practice, according to VolQuest’s Austin Price.

Now Iamaleava will be the top quarterback available in the spring portal when it opens next week. Sources tell On3 that UCLA is a school to watch, and USC and Notre Dame have been linked to Iamaleava. On3 has not yet confirmed whether the Trojans or Fighting Irish are interested in adding him. More players could emerge as he is now headed to the portal.

Sources have also indicated Texas Tech could be a school to watch, but the Red Raiders return starter Behren Morton. Texas Tech’s portal spending continues to have the program linked to top players in the portal. Nico Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns last season, throwing only five interceptions while rushing for 358 yards and three more scores. He started every game for the Volunteers in 2024, leading them to their first berth in the College Football Playoff. 

Iamaleava started the Citrus Bowl in 2023 and was named MVP, throwing for 151 yards and a touchdown while rushing for three more. A Long Beach, California native, the quarterback boasted a top five, including Oregon, Georgia, Alabama and Miami, coming out of high school, but ultimately chose Tennessee. Tennessee finished the 2024 season with a 10-3 record.

 

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Posted
7 minutes ago, RockyMountainHighHorn said:

Sooo according to the couple of minutes I spent on a vols message board. 90% of the people are saying they will be better without him…really? He was the main reason they made the playoffs. 5% say that he was tampered with by another sec school. And the last 5% are clearly upset that he’s leaving but don’t want to go against the grain. I understand the importance of showing the team that no one is bigger than the team but damn that’s quite the player to show the team with. 

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!

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Posted

Unsurprisingly, Ari Wasserman misses the mark.

Ari Wasserman: It's Nico Iamaleava's right to negotiate with Tennessee for more NIL money

Quote

Now that we’re a few years into the NIL world, where payments and financial negotiations with college football players have become the norm, it’s easy to forget Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava was one of the NIL trailblazers for high school athletes. Iamaleava, a five-star quarterback of Downey (Calif.) Warren in the 2023 recruiting class, signed an agreement with Tennessee before joining the Volunteers. They would pay him as much as $8 million during his career.  That’s par for the course today, but at the time it was reported in November 2022, it was groundbreaking news. Opinions were rampant.

How could an unproven high school quarterback command so much money?

Of course Tennessee is out-spending like this.

No quarterback, five-star or not, is worth that kind of money.

Tennessee was right to do it, especially now that we know how the market for top-level quarterbacks has evolved. But it should come as no surprise that we’re here today, more than two years later, and On3’s Pete Nakos is reporting that Iamaleava and his team are back at the table negotiating with Tennessee about more NIL money. This is happening a day before Tennessee’s spring game and less than a week before the spring transfer portal window opens. 

Iamaleava was business-first during his recruitment, so it should be no surprise that he is business-first now. Tennessee should have anticipated this. And you know what? That’s Iamaleava’s right. His negotiation has become publicly contentious, in large part due to his father, Nic, taking to social media and personally attacking Nakos and the report’s validity. The report, by the way, was 100 percent accurate.

But lost in the pointless online fight about whether the negotiations were happening was the real discussion, which is this is totally acceptable behavior. It’s Iamaleava’s right to go back to the table and try to get more money, especially as the landscape of the sport has changed and other quarterbacks, arguably less valuable, are now being compensated more.

Say what you want about Iamaleava. He is skinny. He had a problem with overthrowing receivers last year. He hasn’t quite become the star his fat high school NIL deal implied he’d become. Whatever. But Tennessee didn’t have a ton of offensive firepower at the receiver position last year, he’s still relatively young and the Volunteers made the College Football Playoff. Iamaleava has an extremely high ceiling as a player. You can make a strong case for why he’s a worthy investment.

So he’s negotiating and playing a little hard ball, as he missed Tennessee’s practice Friday with questions about whether he’ll participate in the Volunteers’ spring game Saturday. This is what happens in pro sports. And like it or not, college football is pro sports. Iamaleava is as valuable as someone is willing to pay him and his family thinks it ought to be more. Guess what? There’s no guarantee he’ll ever be this valuable again. Attempt to strike while the iron is hot.

That doesn’t mean Iamaleava should be praised for this. In fact, there are a ton of Tennessee fans who resent what’s happening here. Some, in fact, are already supportive of Tennessee just letting him walk. Iamaleava isn’t a sympathetic figure in this situation. It’s a lot like how professionals in the NFL rub fanbases the wrong way when their agents get a little too confident. A fan’s sentiment toward a player can change faster than his 40-yard dash time. That could be happening here.

Will Iamaleava get what he wants? That, of course, depends on what he’s asking and whether Tennessee feels he’s worth it. Tennessee is currently weighing Iamaleava’s sophomore production, his potential and whether the team could hit rock bottom next year without him. It is, after all, a critical season for the program’s build. They are considering whether paying Iamaleava to stay while avoiding the headache is a prudent financial decision as opposed to letting him walk and using the money elsewhere.

Tennessee may choose the path of least resistance and write the check, even if Iamaleava and his family may have had more leverage during the winter portal window. After all, it only takes one school willing to pay Iamaleava to take the fatter check and move. And if he does? That’s capitalism. There’s no guarantee he’ll be a first-round NFL Draft pick or that he’ll command much more money in his future, so why wouldn’t his family try to maximize his earning potential now?

But it’s a risk. A big one. Why? Because you can absolutely call into question whether his family is doing a good job with these negotiations. Did the deal not get done in the winter because they were asking for an unreasonable amount? Would they have had more leverage if they started playing hard ball months ago when more programs were looking for a quarterback? Did Iamaleava’s father help his son by publicly denying negotiations when they clearly are happening? You can answer those questions on your own.

And if you like Iamaleava less as a result of this circus? That’s also your prerogative. But remember, college football is big business. There are good businessmen and bad ones in this world and we’ll soon find out which one of those better describes Iamaleava.

Is it worth the risk? It could pay off if Tennessee pays him what he wants. But what if he over-uses his leverage, leaves Tennessee and winds up with fatter checks and a worse situation? What if Tennessee doesn’t want to pay him and other teams out there agree with the Volunteers? Not only is he risking what’s already a great situation, he could wind up torpedoing his development and NFL Draft stock.

The truth is, we should have expected this from Iamaleava. He was all business during his recruitment and he’s all business now. Tigers, stripes, you know the saying. If he wants to risk it all for more money, he should go for it. The reality, though, is it may not work out the way he hopes.

 

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Posted
2 minutes ago, satyanash said:

Unsurprisingly, Ari Wasserman misses the mark.

Ari Wasserman: It's Nico Iamaleava's right to negotiate with Tennessee for more NIL money

 

Ari briefly had his own podcast on The Athletic sans Staples. It was fairly entertaining laughing at Ari’s horrific gambling misadventures. But since reuniting with Staples he gets dumber by the minute. Player empowerment bullshit drive by takes, UF is gonna be awesome next year, and Napier apologist bullshit. 

Posted
19 minutes ago, RockyMountainHighHorn said:

Sooo according to the couple of minutes I spent on a vols message board. 90% of the people are saying they will be better without him…really? He was the main reason they made the playoffs. 5% say that he was tampered with by another sec school. And the last 5% are clearly upset that he’s leaving but don’t want to go against the grain. I understand the importance of showing the team that no one is bigger than the team but damn that’s quite the player to show the team with. 

5 star rep. 3 star performance 

Posted
4 minutes ago, TexasExe14 said:

If he went to tech that would be hilarious

I knew Tech would be the first listed before I even read it. Joey going for that portal championship 

Posted
1 hour ago, RockyMountainHighHorn said:

Sooo according to the couple of minutes I spent on a vols message board. 90% of the people are saying they will be better without him…really? He was the main reason they made the playoffs. 5% say that he was tampered with by another sec school. And the last 5% are clearly upset that he’s leaving but don’t want to go against the grain. I understand the importance of showing the team that no one is bigger than the team but damn that’s quite the player to show the team with. 

Their fanbase is dumber than we thought.  Their defense, esp. DL, was fantastic.

Here's the Opponent Adjusted OFEI and DFEI for teams that made the playoffs last year.  Nico was not the reason Tenn was there.

image.png.454c9928ddeb9e2fa8c9f23152a02afa.png

Posted

Hahah love this shit. Fuck Tennessee for signing this kid to a stupid ass contract to begin with. Next, fuck this kid and his dad for thinking he’s worth $4mm a year. I hope both parties crash and burn while we watch from a distance. Let’s see which school is fucking stupid enough to get involved with that nightmare of a family. 

Posted
54 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

If you negotiate a 4 year rate, that’s your rate for 4 years. Give EA sports or Gatorade a call if you want to add to it, but Tennessee shouldn’t need to renegotiate. 

Re-negotiating a deal is fine and happens in the pros, but you better know your worth before threatening the nuclear option.

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Posted
30 minutes ago, boilerhorn said:

Their fanbase is dumber than we thought.  Their defense, esp. DL, was fantastic.

Here's the Opponent Adjusted OFEI and DFEI for teams that made the playoffs last year.  Nico was not the reason Tenn was there.

image.png.454c9928ddeb9e2fa8c9f23152a02afa.png

Well and their RB that was the SEC offensive player of the year.

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Posted
1 hour ago, satyanash said:

Unsurprisingly, Ari Wasserman misses the mark.

Ari Wasserman: It's Nico Iamaleava's right to negotiate with Tennessee for more NIL money

 

Sure. Also it’s Tennessee’s right to tell him go kick rocks.  

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Posted

Nice time to point out the SEC doesn't allow transfers to other schools within the SEC during the spring window, including grad transfers. So both the player and the program are screwed if they were hoping to poach from another SEC school. The player could try to sue to change that but you're already toxic at that point. 

Posted
Definitely not worth 4 million, smart move by Tennessee

This late into Spring ball and going to a new offense/team, he might’ve bit off more than Nico can chew. He might end up at somewhere like Fresno or San Diego State.

Hook’em!!!
Posted
28 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Re-negotiating a deal is fine and happens in the pros, but you better know your worth before threatening the nuclear option.

Should Tennessee have renegotiated after he didn’t win the starting job as a true freshman, but still going to make 2 million? (Was it 2 per for 4 or didn’t escalate, and he would be making more than 2 this year?)  both parties seemingly wanted some cost certainty, Tenn at the back of the deal and Nico at the front end.  Now Nico got past the point where the deal was biased to his side and blows it up before Tenn can get their value portion.  Tenn gets to not spend that money now and we will see what the market bears for Nico now, but tenn’s savings also come with losing their qb1 in April and the development time they spent on him and didn’t spend elsewhere.  
 

so I’ll stick with it being a poor reflection on them. 

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