Change is scary. That has made college football a slasher movie lately. NIL and players transferring is like another Saw sequel – to some.

It’s easy to sit back and say that players shouldn’t be able to transfer as freely as they can, that players shouldn’t be paid, that college football is turning into professional football right before our very eyes, etc. Moreover, the suddenness of those changes to college football only enhances the fear factor. I’ll give you a chance to catch your breath.

Tennessee quarterback commitment Nico Iamaleava will step onto UT’s campus this weekend for his official visit. He really won’t have to be recruited this weekend. The 6-foot-5, 196-pound prospect from Long Beach Poly (Calif.) School will be doing much of the recruiting himself since he committed in March. 

Iamaleava will be all over Tennessee’s visitors this weekend and has already been recruiting for the Vols. That has been well documented. He could never take a snap for the Vols and has already been an asset.

So what’s he worth if he’s as good as his recruiting pedigree would indicate.

Most seem to think that $8 million is what Iamaleava will be paid from an NIL deal. However, the official proof of any sort of agreement hasn’t been made. So what if it has? It’s legal, at least for now. Tennessee should take advantage of it.

Here’s a secret: If Iamaleava is a top-flight quarterback that can lead Tennessee to at least an SEC Championship Game, he’s well worth the money. Every single penny.

Moreover, he deserves it. It might not seem right and, admittedly, I was a bit taken aback when NIL actually became a real thing. However, I was glad. College football players deserved more than what they were getting. They deserved to be able to move from job to job just like their coaches. They deserved to have a seat at the table and not be tossed table scraps via sponsored gear.

It’s still confounding to me that it took this long to correct old-fashioned thinking. Traditions die hard.

There are still some in recruiting circles that get uncomfortable talking about NIL and the influence it might have in a prospect’s decision. I don’t. If someone does a job, they should be paid. 

If I were Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, I’d scream it from the top of Neyland Stadium that the Vols will pay whatever for whomever they want. I’d make sure that everyone knew that the Vols can match any offer in the nation. Tennessee’s financial backing is that strong. Isn’t that proof that the fan base is fully invested, literally and figuratively?

I know it’s hard for coaches to openly admit that they paid players in order for them to come to their school. It still feels dirty and wrong, but it shouldn’t. NIL isn’t going anywhere so take advantage of it before some recruiting tweaks might be made to the system. It’s like counting cards at a casino. Rake in as much as you can before the pit boss begins to glare.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban isn’t afraid to crow about NIL money. He did so at SEC Media Days last year in front of a crowd of about 500 media members. That’s not keeping things quiet.

Saban didn’t accidentally mention that quarterback Bryce Young was going to make $1 million before even being Bama’s starter. Saban said that for two reasons. First, he thought it would help him recruit. Second, he thought there should be more legislation on NIL payments. Why do we need more legislation? We don’t.

Eventually, the market will determine what a college football prospect is worth. Saban, nor the NCAA, need to fret over that. Businesses aren’t going to keep throwing money in a direction that doesn’t net them a financial return. Just give it time. Things will play out.

There is only one reason that coaches don’t want players to receive more compensation than they have had in the past. In fact, most coaches I spoke to did, indeed, want players to get something before NIL was allowed. However, they didn’t see this much cash coming. Now, they may be battling a different animal all together.

College coaches don’t want to coach NFL-like divas. That’s understandable. However, that’s a “coach” problem. Denying a person what they’re worth is a “legal” problem. Guess which one wins.

As for Iamaleava and the possible connection to a deal from a cousin by a man who knew my uncle, the fourth highest rated prospect in the nation wasn’t just looking at just one lucrative offer when he selected Tennessee. His second choice was reportedly Oregon. 

The Ducks’ biggest booster is Nike. Maybe you’ve heard of them. They have some disposable income on hand and know how to promote athletes. Anyone heard of Michael Jordan? If it were just about making money, Iamaleava should have committed to Oregon. 

Yet Iamaleava chose to come to Tennessee for what UT’s football program can be and the fan support he has seen in person and on social media. He loves the passion. So, if you’re a Tennessee fan and you still feel weird about this whole NIL thing, let it go.

Iamaleava, paid or not, chose Tennessee on its football merits. He chose Heupel because of the trajectory of the program. He could have gotten the money anywhere.