Recruiting Football Talk VIII

[Checker_the_Shire]

Few things:

First: I see a lot of articles saying we’ve moved on. He’s reported in the portal. Reports of telling the team this morning in a meeting. Reports that Nico said he’s gone but I don’t see any statement from him. I’m appalled that we’re hearing all this through the media. We should hear nothing until the university and player speaks on it. I haven’t seen that.



Shocked that this is where we’re at. Not shocked how quickly the fanbase has reacted and sent the snowball flying downhill. On that note, I agree with protect the program and culture over ANY one player, if it has to come to that. I also think it didn’t need to come to that, that most of us fans are being too prideful and overreactive as opposed to level headed and patient, and I don’t think there’s a single soul that truly believes we would be a better offensive product with RS Freshman Merk over third year second year starter Nico.

Very disappointed in how this was handled (from both sides), EXCEPT the silence from university (only route to be taken to ultimately control the resolution to the narrative). Makes the Mike Matthews offseason drama look insignificant (and not happy that there’s drama around our stars - while other blue bloods seem to not be having such issues). Should have been done behind closed doors and handled with expediency.

Concerned about a lack of stability vibe. Concerned about how this became public, though if it was shopping around then that would suggest it came out of that process and Nico’s camp is to blame. Big boy programs don’t let news become news until final resolutions have been made. I’m almost positive there was sabotage from another team involved, and if Nico leaves and goes to OSU or UGA we’ll know exactly how it happened. I can see it now, held onto David sanders, punked in Columbus, lost Nico to them or UGa, might ultimately lose David back to them if that happens as well as MM. This is my nightmare, a story that shows how clearly we don’t belong with elite, unable to get and retain that talent.

I think from here forward the two camps decide, hopefully together, before the O&W game, what the outcome will be. Nip this story in the butt quickly one way or another. Either (my preferred option) present a united front, committed to fielding the most successful and tight-knit team possible this fall (what the university will convey either way), apologizing to teammates and fans for the distraction, denouncing the media for running with “information” to build a story that hadn’t yet been written, sweeping it under the rug, OR the dramatic route of throwing the blame on Nico camp and moving forward publicly without them - this is the story the media is writing, though thankfully the university has been tight lipped and so when what’s written is out there and there is nothing to do but to provide resolution, they have all the power to proceed how they want to.

I still absolutely think a happy ending is possible where Nico stays, we field a competitive team this fall that makes the CFP again. Maybe that’s a pipe dream. As much as I like Merk and his potential, I do not think that happens with him as the starter this fall.


This sucks. With the amount of emotional energy and money (relative to my income) that I’m pouring into our program, struggles with NIL related retention and recruiting make it feel completely wasted.

EDIT: Seems my thoughts are all too late and for not. First official anything I’ve seen: Nico Iamaleava not listed on the roster on utsports.com. Guess that’s that.

A few points of dispute and agreement:
1) I agree, and most here would as well, that we’d of course rather keep Nico than see him leave. That said, I’d rather risk chances with Merk than have someone who should be the equivalent of your general (the QB) who hasn’t bought into the culture or what the coach is selling. That’s a recipe for disaster.
2) The university couldn’t speak out because they literally had no idea what was happening since Nico and his side were being silent and ghosting everyone.
3) I’m curious, what else could TN have done in this situation? They met some of his “demands” back in December and they’ve held up to pretty much their entire agreement with him. He’s the one who’s been shopping around behind their back and leveraging for more money at the last possible second. I’m not sure I can fault the university in this situation.
4) I agree 100% about the lack of stability. You can’t let this crap unfold every offseason, it’s not a good look.
5) That being said, I truly don’t think another school was behind all this. I think TN finally got fed up with their sh*t and went public via anonymous sources. Essentially making him the villain in all this, which is actually a pretty elite move.
6) You admitted you were late to the party, but all of this was settled Thursday night and made official Friday with him missing practice. TN was never going to budge on this, especially with the way the Nico camp has been acting. So him missing practice was all he needed to do to show the program what his next steps were gonna be. Plus, once he missed practice, he lost what little credibility he still had with the fanbase. We weren’t going to tolerate that act of cowardice.
7) Finally, I agree with you. NIL is starting to make college sports less fun, at least college football. My hope is this is a giant wake up call and the NCAA starts to act. Unfortunately it happened to us and not the likes of Bama or UGA, so chances of them acting are slim.

 

[DD4ME]

This was the moment I realized Nico may be Milton 2.0

That is completely disrespectful to Milton. All our qb's till now we're better than him.

 

[Jpcisco]

This was the moment I realized Nico may be Milton 2.0

Don't do that to Milton. Dude sat on the bench, never once complained, and gave his all for Tennessee. He should never be mentioned in the same sentence as Nico.

 

[rocktopper16]

 

[rocktopper16]

Don't do that to Milton. Dude sat on the bench, never once complained, and gave his all for Tennessee. He should never be mentioned in the same sentence as Nico.

Milton was/is better than Nico

 

[DD4ME]

Link to the radio broadcast??

https://utsports.com/watch/live

 

[Lloyd_Christmas]

This was the moment I realized Nico may be Milton 2.0

Not fair to Milton. He stuck around.

 

[GoBigOrange86]

Milton was/is better than Nico

He’s certainly a better man.

 

[Adam Sandler]

This is akin to Danny White standing at a podium

THIS.

We lost our starting qb because someone leaked a rumor of a contract negotiation.

It doesn’t get any more fragile than that. Can’t believe we continue to fumble the bag and the management of our undeniably most important program.

 

[headhunter15]

Go Vols! We in this!

 

[DD4ME]

 

[DD4ME]

 

[ATC_VOL]

Pretty good crowd here. Available lower deck is full.

 

[jave36]

THIS.

We lost our starting qb because someone leaked a rumor of a contract negotiation.

It doesn’t get any more fragile than that. Can’t believe we continue to fumble the bag and the management of our undeniably most important program.

You can't possibly believe that, right? We lost him because he skipped practice to hold out for money.

 

[BleedOrange16]

THIS.

We lost our starting qb because someone leaked a rumor of a contract negotiation.

It doesn’t get any more fragile than that. Can’t believe we continue to fumble the bag and the management of our undeniably most important program.

I’ve read we likely leaked it. Because we were tired of how it was impacting admin, coaches, and the team. Many were tired of dealing with Nico’s family and the drama surrounding it all.

I read we leaked it to air it out to the court of public opinion. The rumor that Lanning called Heup that Nico’s dad was bidding him out to west coast schools also aligns with us being tired of Nico and the group around him - and ultimately was a part of resulting in, “the leak”.

It appears the family was stunned to see fans and media side with the university and coaches and he then skipped meetings and practice - sealing his own fate.

I’d say the university and coaches handled this just fine.

 

[SKV84]

Is the game streaming anywhere?

 

[screenthis]

You can't possibly believe that, right? We lost him because he skipped practice to hold out for money.

We may never know the full story. But, in no way should Tn double Nico's pay if that part is true. Culture over talent all day. In Heupel I trust.

 

[The Dog]

One of my favorite players

My favorite, I wanted to be like The Wizard in 1985, not Mike. In fact, Sports Illustrated said White was the MJ of the SEC

 

[Buddy’s Bandit]

Facts

Dropping two rounds will make him undrafted.

 

[Ten_Titans]

Someone needs to call the NCAA and see if they are still interested in making Nico ineligible.

Hit em with the ole Pruitt treatment lol

 

[Orange.]

Who is Nico’s agent?

Also, that guy who posted on X before Nico’s idjit father, saying there were no negotiations, and who has some past Gayt associations (iirc): who is that guy and how long has he been “long time friends” with Nico’s idjit father?

I ready to move on, but I would like to have those two blanks filled in. GBO!

 

[Orange.]

 

[Vols And Bruins]

Wouldn’t be surprised if he leaves too, but can’t blame Tennessee for it

I could imagine that some players are seeing the hate Nico is getting and deciding to stay this year to avoid the storm

 

[Volnut]

Brazzell inactive today…

Don’t rember him being on the injury report from practice reports

 

[TheBigOne10]

Well Nico saved me at least $2,000.

Was planning to splurge on a weekend family trip to Knoxville to see Vols-Georgia, but with the QB and broader roster now in doubt, I have no desire to spend that much money.

Will watch from home, and it will be a gameday decision on whether I’m casually checking the score on my phone or carving out the time to watch it on TV.

Bro let it play out. This could easily galvanize the roster and allow them to play with the biggest chip on their shoulders imaginable. One player does not a program make.