Nico Iamaleava doesn’t need any more exposure. He made that abundantly clear when he didn’t show up for the Elite 11 Quarterback camp this week.

Iamaleava was invited, but will not attend, according to a statement by camp organizers. That wasn’t really news. There were reports that the No. 4 prospect in the country might not make the esteemed event earlier this week.

Some might think Iamaleava’s absence is a cause for concern. It’s not.

Iamaleava, who committed to Tennessee in March, made one thing abundantly clear as he was departing Knoxville on Sunday from his official visit to Tennessee: He wasn’t currently focused on football. He said openly that football was not at the forefront of his mind. Does that worry you? It shouldn’t.

Iamaleava is still a high school student at Long Beach (Calif.) Poly Tech, a teenager and one of the top volleyball prospects in the nation. On Sunday, Iamaleava told assembled reporters that he would focus on volleyball and the upcoming national championship tournament instead of staying laser focused on football. Imagine that, a teenager has more than one interest. This just in: Nico is human.

It remains to be seen how promotional football camps will continue in this NIL world that has further expedited an already speedy college football recruiting calendar. Let’s make no mistake. The camps held at this stage of recruiting aren’t in place for the good of the kids. With big-time corporate sponsors displaying their products and wares, football camps can become more of a commercialized convention than a football camp very quickly.

There will be those that try to degrade Iamaleava for not attending the Elite 11 camp, that football is the meal ticket that will get him through life. Well, Iamaleava already has enough money to last a lifetime if you believe the reporting on the matter. Moreover, if you believe that Iamaleava could even get one-percent better at football by attending the Elite 11, then there is some ocean front property in Gatlinburg that you might be interested in.

Camps like the Elite 11 camp are about some coaching, but they’re mostly about displaying one’s talents and connecting with other prospects to build a super class. I’ve seen enough of Iamaleava’s talent. He can connect via social media with other prospects. In fact, he’s proven quite adept at it. Why go?

The 6-foot-5, 195-pound prospect is probably better off hitting the weight room than taking snaps at a quarterback camp. There could be mass-adding wisdom behind Iamaleava’s unusual move.

For those that question Iamaleava’s dedication to football for missing one camp, I present Landon Dickerson of the Philadelphia Eagles. Dickerson was a four-star offensive lineman prospect from South Caldwell High School in Hudson, N.C. 

Dickerson was a standout student, as well as a standout football player, so he could have enrolled in college midway through his senior season and begun his college football journey in January. He passed. Why? To be an Eagle Scout. No, really. 

Dickerson had one last accomplishment to become an Eagle Scout and it had to take place during the spring semester of his senior year. So, Dickerson told most every college in the nation that they would have to wait. Most were okay with that. Some weren’t.

Dickerson’s decision not to become a mid-term enrollee didn’t sit incredibly well with some old school football people. Why would a prospect postpone their playing career to help build a park in order to receive the final merit of Eagle Scout eligibility? Simple, Dickerson said it was a lifelong goal to become an Eagle Scout, so he wouldn’t enrolled in college in January.

Dickerson eventually signed with Florida State where he was almost constantly injured, transferred to Alabama where he became a versatile interior offensive lineman and was selected in the second round of the NFL Draft. That worked out.

Things aren’t always going to be perfect for Iamaleava at Tennessee. A goal, like winning a championship for the Vols, will need to be the underlying motivation when things aren’t going exactly as planned. Iamaleava is also dedicated to his high school volleyball team.

Iamaleava has also shown he’s dedicated to his family. He brought almost a dozen family members with him during his trip last weekend. If he wants to hang out with his family instead of displaying his skills to the same set of reporters and analysts at a football camp, then no one should have a problem with that.

It’s important to also note that the Elite 11 Quarterback camp is about, well, quarterbacks. If this were a more open camp and Iamaleava could recruit for the Vols, I’m betting he’d be there.

The recruiting calendar started getting bizarre when kids, like Dickerson, were expected to leave high school early if they had that option. If they didn’t, they weren’t as tough or dedicated. Now, it seems odd if a player misses a camp because it could interfere with his spring sports. Let’s reset for a moment.

I struggle to find just one reason why Iamaleava should attend this week’s Elite 11 camp – other than just upholding tradition and nostalgia? There’s one problem with that. Iamaleava isn’t living in the past.