No matter what you think of Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, he may be around much longer than you ever dreamed.
Here was the plan. Iamaleava would sit on the bench and learn the offense during his freshman season in 2023. Then, the former five-star quarterback who rakes in over $2-million per season in NIL cash would start for the Vols during his sophomore and junior season and head off to the NFL. So far, things haven’t gone according to plan.
Iamaleava was average at best last season, ranking seventh in the SEC in passer rating (145.34) during a season in which quarterback play in the conference was far less than stellar. Strangely enough, Iamaleava tied former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck in passer rating. Beck’s recent manuever makes one think that Iamaleava could be around longer than previously planned. Why? Cold, hard cash.
Beck transferred from Georgia to Miami and landed a monster NIL contract in doing so. He’ll reportedly be paid $4.4-million in 2025. That’s more than five NFL quarterbacks. How about this for a point of reference?
Former Oregon quarterback Bo Nix signed a four-year, $18-million contract after being selected with the 12th pick in the NFL Draft. Nix is set to make $4.2-million this season. Um, that doesn’t sound right. Nevertheless, it could mean another year of Iamaleava playing football in an orange jersey.
If Iamaleava, whose family demanded more NIL money after the 2024 season, is playing at a high level this season, who is to say that the Vols won’t pony up again? Maybe they could even put a “Pilot” logo on his jersey? That could throw a serious wrench into what looked like a well-laid-out plan to keep an elite quarterback under center with or without Iamaleava.
You have to wonder what Tennessee redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger, freshman George MacIntyre and five-star commitment Faizon Brandon think of the move. After all, they all thought they’d have a shot to win the starting job in 2026. Now, that notion seems very much in jeopardy.
Some have already seen enough of Iamaleava after he struggled last season. I, however, think the Vols still have an elite quarterback with Iamaleava and should do all they can to keep him in school beyond this season. As for Iamaleava’s struggles, I blame that on other players that didn’t get the job done last season, not Iamaleava.
There has to be coming legislation that could prevent prospects from staying around college as long as the massive checks clear. At some point, there will be a union and a salary cap, right? Surely?
If not, Iamaleava still has three seasons of eligibility left. As strange as it seems, he may well be the starting quarterback for the Vols in 2027.