UTK QB Nico Iamaleava holding out for more NIL money (TN/Nico part ways - Entering portal)

[CaliforniaTide]

This is worth keeping an eye on .... Kid is not that good.

Good enough to beat Alabama in Knoxville...

 

[Slowpoke Catracho]

I'm going to venture that Nico is probably a good kid and I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. I think he is getting bad advice from his parents. That being said, NIL is just another way that "helicopter parents" can ruin their kids life among their peers.

 

[BamaMoon]

Man, Josh Pate just makes too much sense!

I do believe he's looking out for the best interests of college football!

 

[Cruloc]

I'm going to venture that Nico is probably a good kid and I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. I think he is getting bad advice from his parents. That being said, NIL is just another way that "helicopter parents" can ruin their kids life among their peers.

This reminds me of what Ms. Terry said about their having recruits in for dinner at their house. She said parents were asking them how much money they were going to give them.

The paradigm shifted years ago....what we've got now is disgusting.

 

[Windsortide]

I would not sign him. It sends the wrong message.

 

[dtgreg]

That would be a totally nonsensical move for OSU.

Might be nervous, Just Sayin

 

[JustNeedMe81]

Good enough to beat Alabama in Knoxville...

No. Alabama beat Alabama in Knoxville. Has nothing to do with the QB.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Until contracts and a CBA come into play, the only way to deal with the holding out is for colleges to "team up" aka "stick together" and not reward it. The team they're holding out on doesn't need to cave, and another power-four conference team doesn't need to sign him.

 

[lowend]

I would not sign him. It sends the wrong message.

I agree, but there is always some coach that's on the hot seat and some booster with more money than sense. I don't know that he'll get 4 mil, but he will play next year.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I agree, but there is always some coach that's on the hot seat and some booster with more money than sense. I don't know that he'll get 4 mil, but he will play next year.

He now doesn't have any leverage and any good business person worth their salt knows this. They'll offer him (at best) what he was getting at UcheaT, but it would not surprise me if his offers are less than what he was making at UcheaT

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

Apparently; his father was driving that play.

Not the least bit surprised.

It's the parents that wanted the raise...

 

[92tide]

The others will find a new past time.

telling the rest of us how little they care /s 😅🤣

 

[Tidewater]

Josh seems a bit angry.

 

[cdub55]

I would not sign him. It sends the wrong message.

In Nico's defense his name is Iamaleava and not Iamastaya...

 

[cdub55]

No. Alabama beat Alabama in Knoxville. Has nothing to do with the QB.

It definitely had something to do with the QB, it just wasn't the one wearing Orange...

 

[tusks_n_raider]

He now doesn't have any leverage and any good business person worth their salt knows this. They'll offer him (at best) what he was getting at UcheaT, but it would not surprise me if his offers are less than what he was making at UcheaT

Real good life lesson in there for he and his parents.

 

[cdub55]

Real good life lesson in there for he and his parents.

I've always said, "2 million in the hand is better than 4 million in the portal"...

 

[mfleck]

Don't agree at all what Nico is doing, but when he sees Miami fork out 3 mil for Beck and a hurt shoulder and see Duke fork out a bunch for some nobody from Tulane, what do you expect. It happens every day in the NFL and now will start happening in college.

 

[AlexanderFan]

Don't agree at all what Nico is doing, but when he sees Miami fork out 3 mil for Beck and a hurt shoulder and see Duke fork out a bunch for some nobody from Tulane, what do you expect. It happens every day in the NFL and now will start happening in college.

I flimflamming expect an 18 year old kid to be happy with 2.4 million dollars and not be the dumbest moron of morons and kill his own golden goose.

If this wasn’t his bright idea I hope he shoves his foot so far up that person’s rear that they burp rubber and shoelaces for a year.

This was the dumbest idea in history. How can you not be happy with an 8 million dollar NiL contract?

 

[CrimsonTitles]

Other coaches can beat their chests and bare their teeth all they want. The real question is whether this ends up working for Nico.

IOW, now that his mindset is publicly known, will another school take Nico? And if so, what will they pay him?

If Nico ends up either without a school or with a pay package less than he made at UTe, that'll serve as a lesson to everyone else -- coaches and players. If he ends up somewhere making more than he made at UTe, it worked for him and that'll teach a different lesson.

And what happens if Nico realizes he's overplayed his hand and withdraws from the portal? Given what's happened, would UTe take him back at his current pay? I tend to think that bridge is burned. But it would make for interesting theater.

That's why UNC feels like the perfect fit. Belichick is not going to mind this sort of thing. It's the whole reason he decided to give college a try in the first place. I don't know that they can afford to pay him $4M, but that ship may have sailed for him. He will end up probably having to take less money, but may end up in a better situation. If he lights up the ACC, then he'll be a top 5 pick next spring.