Some have suggested that there was collusion at play to keep former Tennessee Football quarterback Nico Iamaleava in his place. It leaked from an unlikely source, former NFL wide receiver Dez Bryant. Now, Bryant has no credibility, and he has no sources to make some claim, but he could be on to something.
While there is no proof it’s actually the case teams colluded against Iamaleava, it wouldn’t surprise me. Programs that are on solid footing and have a competent quarterback situation had no need in taking a risk on Iamaleava, whose family has proven to be a daily distraction in their son’s career.
The top, most successful coaches in college football talk among themselves more than you think. They share information. Do you think there were any positive reviews coming out of Tennessee’s camp when questioned about Iamaleava?
Absolutely not.
Perhaps any alleged collusion wasn’t formal. There were no signed documents, but there were plenty of coaches who weren’t going to sign Iamaleava because of what went down in Knoxville.
It’s not just the distractions that everybody knows comes with Iamaleava’s family. That would be reason enough for schools to not want him. However, colluding against him after he held out for more money would be a chance for college football coaches to take back some power and reset the NIL market.
UCLA may actually be a better fit for Iamaleava, who never seemed comfortable being in the limelight at Tennessee, where a UT quarterback is one of the top celebrities in town. Perhaps Iamaleava can fade into a crowd of students who don’t know who he is and sports superstars who will receive much more publicity than Iamaleava ever did in Knoxville. Maybe that can help a player who could easily be described as soft-spoken and, perhaps even, shy.
My biggest concern for Iamaleava is that he’s closer to his family, led by his father Nic Iamaleava, who has done his son no favors during his college career. Nic was certainly present in Knoxville, but he lives in Los Angeles. That means he could be a daily challenge for UCLA’s coaches. Will Nic be walking the sidelines during practice? That wouldn’t surprise me at all.
So was there collusion that forced Iamaleava to settle for a worse situation with less money? Almost certainly. Did Iamaleava and, more specifically his family, deserve as much? Absolutely.
