Tennessee‘s program rolled out the orange carpet for its Nico Iamaleava in 2023 with a headline-grabbing NIL deal reportedly worth $8 million.
He was the No. 2 overall recruit in his class, heralded as the future of Vols football, and expected to elevate Josh Heupel‘s fast-paced offense into warp speed territory. The plan was clear: think Joe Burrow‘s 2019 LSU dominance, only turbocharged.
But instead of rewriting SEC history, Iamaleava‘s freshman season barely moved the needle. With 28 completions and two touchdowns to his name during the regular season, his stat line looked more like it belonged in a glorified spring game than the stat sheet of an $8 million man.
He may have had a dominant Citrus Bowl showing against an undermanned Iowa team, but critics were quick to point out that Iowa’s offense was ranked 130th in efficiency and its defense, while solid, was depleted. In other words, the prophecy wasn’t dead.
Now, that quiet has been shattered by a wave of backlash sparked by a controversial decision, as Iamaleava skipped a spring practice, reportedly demanding his NIL deal be doubled from $2 million to $4 million.
“Actions matter. Decisions matter. And the NFL world took notice of the Nico Iamaleava situation, they tell me,” Dianna Russini wrote bluntly on X.
Her post set off a wave of conversation that extended far beyond college circles and into NFL front offices. Suddenly, Iamaleava‘s name wasn’t trending because of jaw-dropping throws or clutch drives-but because of questions about maturity, leadership, and entitlement.
Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel didn’t mince words either during a segment on Scoop City.
“He was making $2.2 million at Tennessee. I want $4 million… for what? Nine touchdowns and three picks against SEC teams?” Daniel said. “I get they made the playoffs… but what do your teammates think of you when you pull this?”
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