Nico Iamaleava is done with Tennessee Football, and the Vols are done with him, right? Well, maybe not. If things continue down the current path, don’t rule out an Iamaleava return.
I know what you’re thinking. It’s either “I’ve had it with the drama” or “Both sides are just too far apart to reconcile.” Perhaps it’s even a combination of both. However, the going price for a perceived malcontent with a good arm is dropping fast, and the Vols might want to consider jumping back in the Iamaleava market.
Iamaleava was making about $2.2 to $2.5-million at Tennessee. He wanted to renegotiate his contract just before the Orange and White Game, which apparently didn’t happen. You know the rest. After a report leaked about him renegotiating his deal, he skipped practice, wouldn’t talk to head coach Josh Heupel and was then out the door in one of the strangest 48 hours you’ll see in college athletics. And there was no field to be found.
Let’s not debate this. Iamaleava is still a very talented quarterback, even if he didn’t live up to his Tennessee billing. Perhaps he could go from a good quarterback to a great quarterback. That’s more likely to happen at Tennessee than at any other potential suitors.
Tulane was a real player for Iamaleava before deciding on taking another quarterback in the transfer portal. Let that sink in for a moment: The Green Wave is turning down a five-star prospect that was good enough to start for an SEC team. Ouch.
The Vols can get Iamaleava back for half the money they were paying him. According to ON3, Iamaleava isn’t getting anywhere close to the $4-million he was hoping for from other schools. In fact, schools are reportedly waiting for him to drop his price to $1-million before they make the offer. The Iamaleava entourage clearly didn’t think this thing through.
Iamaleava isn’t garnering more NIL offers from countless other schools for a number of reasons. First, he wasn’t spectacular on the field. Second, he is entering the transfer portal during the spring when it’s almost impossible for a player, especially a quarterback, to have a significant impact in the fall when he’s so late to the party. Oh, and the way Iamaleava left Tennessee Football didn’t help his cause at all.
Heupel should consider taking Iamaleava back if he ends up panhandling for NIL cash. Perhaps Iamaleava takes control of his life from his social media manager/father? Maybe Nic Iamaleava agrees not to meddle with his son’s career? If that’s the case, then Heupel could take Iamaleava back to ensure the Vols have solid quarterback play this season while cutting a cool $1-million-plus off of Tennessee’s NIL ledger sheet.
I know your first concern about this outlandish idea. Heupel would be backtracking if he took Iamaleava back. He would look weak in front of his team. I don’t think so.
Heupel would be viewed as a coach that stood up to a prima donna (father) and corrected the NIL game, as long as there was a massive pay cut involved. He would win all around. That’s not weak. It would actually be strong to show a willingness to let bygones by bygones.
The bottom line is this: Allowing Iamaleava to return would make Tennessee football better. No offense to Jake Merklinger nor George MacIntyre, but they won’t play as well as Iamaleava could. Iamaleava is more talented than Merklinger and more experienced than MacIntyre.
Tennessee is targeting a quarterback to bring in during the transfer portal, which ends on April 25. The one requirement is a pulse. If said quarterback plays significantly this season, then something has gone terribly wrong. All the Vols need is a warm body to handle practice snaps. Or they could get an accomplished Iamaleava. However, there’s on big problem.
There’s no way that Iamaleava’s father would allow his son to return to Tennessee if it meant a pay cut. Nic Iamaleava is far too sensitive for that. His X feed would go insane. Moreover, can you imagine him giving up control or agreeing to limit his contact with Tennessee’s coaches? No chance and no way Heupel would trust Nic to step aside. It’s not worth the risk unless there’s something firmly in writing.
The only way I’d consider taking Iamaleava back is if his father stepped completely out of the picture. No phone calls, no untimely negotiations and, certainly, no knee jerk reactions as the family displayed last week.
I can’t help but root for Nico. I hope he has another solid chance to succeed, but that doesn’t seem to be in his future. As long as the younger Iamaleava isn’t in charge, he seems destined to make far less money on a far smaller stage while his handlers only bring uncertainty into his future. If only Heupel could get one Iamaleava and not the other.
