Nico’s value to Tennessee?

Your valuation of Nico’s worth?

  • $1 million

  • $2 million

  • $3 million

  • $4 million


Results are only viewable after voting.
#53
#53
Like it or not, signing Nico gave our program a lot of recruiting momentum and positive media coverage. That alone was worth $4m
I credit Hooker and the 2022 team more with that. Nico actually had almost no coat tail effect (that you often see with top quarterback prospects) with other recruits, especially in his class. Now we might be learning why: they knew he was grifter-spawn who would likely bounce from school to school chasing the dollar so there was no point in following him. Outside our fanbase he mainly brought the perception that Tennessee was trying to buy a team like Miami is.
 
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#54
#54
I credit Hooker and the 2022 team more with that. Nico actually had almost no coat tail effect (that you often see with top quarterback prospects) with other recruits, especially in his class. Now we might be learning why: they knew he was grifter-spawn who would likely bounce from school to school chasing the dollar so there was no point in following him. Outside our fanbase he mainly brought the perception that Tennessee was trying to buy a team like Miami is.
Probably a sign when you change HS to only go back to the original HS.

Freshman year - Long Beach Poly
Soph/Jr year - Warren
Sr. year -Long Beach Poly and back to Warren
 
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#56
#56
Good publicity from his temper tamper. He ought to be paying us.
On the radio in Knox they said his contract runs through 2026. Doubt either party will pursue anything, but wouldn’t be surprised if his family tries to collect the rest. Spyre could always come back with the receipts of the bookings/events he missed but was paid on.
 
#57
#57
On the radio in Knox they said his contract runs through 2026. Doubt either party will pursue anything, but wouldn’t be surprised if his family tries to collect the rest. Spyre could always come back with the receipts of the bookings/events he missed but was paid on.
I'm sure there was some sort of termination without cause upon written notice provision that either party could invoke unilaterally. It'd be malpractice if there wasn't.
 
#58
#58
I credit Hooker and the 2022 team more with that. Nico actually had almost no coat tail effect (that you often see with top quarterback prospects) with other recruits, especially in his class. Now we might be learning why: they knew he was grifter-spawn who would likely bounce from school to school chasing the dollar so there was no point in following him. Outside our fanbase he mainly brought the perception that Tennessee was trying to buy a team like Miami is.
Also, it just didn't look like the staff ever trusted Nico to throw down field or over the middle. The same was true with Milton, but Iamaleava was billed as being something better. The staff handled him with kid gloves all season.
 
#61
#61
On the radio in Knox they said his contract runs through 2026. Doubt either party will pursue anything, but wouldn’t be surprised if his family tries to collect the rest. Spyre could always come back with the receipts of the bookings/events he missed but was paid on.
If he sues there will be so many lawyers in on this he will be lucky to walk away with anything. Based solely on contract how it is worded and he could walk away with nothing or the opposite. Hard to know what parameters were in the contract.
Both parties had release points how they were covered but in the contract who knows, could have been why he was shopping around and making demands.
Nico was doing what was best for him and not the team.
It would be best for him to move on and stay silent I would assume.

Edit: 1st Sentence
 
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#62
#62
Also, it just didn't look like the staff ever trusted Nico to throw down field or over the middle. The same was true with Milton, but Iamaleava was billed as being something better. The staff handled him with kid gloves all season.
We just don't have guys running wide open as often as we did Heupel's first two years either. It happens but not as often. Hooker in 2022 especially used to just have guys breaking open all over the field with regularity. It's probably part personnel, part Golesh leaving and part defenses just figuring out how to play us, but Nico was supposed to be a guy who could defeat good coverage by throwing the ball into tight windows and you are right that he doesn't ever seem to have been trusted to do that, or didn't trust himself.
 
#63
#63
I will bet there will UTK will have so many lawyers on this he will be lucky to walk away with anything. Based solely on contract how it is worded and he could walk away with nothing or the opposite. Hard to know what parameters were in the contract.
Both parties had release points how they were covered in the contract who knows, could have been why he was shopping around and making demands.
Nico was doing what was best for him and not the team.
It would be best for him to move on and stay silent I would assume.
I’d say the last part will be how it goes.

Next step will be contract buyouts.
 
#64
#64
We just don't have guys running wide open as often as we did Heupel's first two years either. It happens but not as often. Hooker in 2022 especially used to just have guys breaking open all over the field with regularity. It's probably part personnel, part Golesh leaving and part defenses just figuring out how to play us, but Nico was supposed to be a guy who could defeat good coverage by throwing the ball into tight windows and you are right that he doesn't ever seem to have been trusted to do that, or didn't trust himself.
Hyatt effect.
 
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#65
#65
He brought in so many other talented players.😅
Now where did I put that blue font.
What I told others evidently; he is just not a leader or a likeable person. If he was worth 4 Mill there would be top WRs knocking on the door to play here. I guess at Armor all games etc. top players got to see him and didn't have any ambition to be tied to him. Stop and think no big-name receiver were even in the picture. They wanted no part of that Nico camp. Thats the bad thing at going after a 5-star HS guy most the time baggage is not bad with them, but everything says it is in this case and there's not a track record. I hope the collective never spends that amount on a HS future with no crystal ball. I even said you know he never interviews or anything it's hard to root for him basically a stranger on the team.
 
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#66
#66
We just don't have guys running wide open as often as we did Heupel's first two years either. It happens but not as often. Hooker in 2022 especially used to just have guys breaking open all over the field with regularity. It's probably part personnel, part Golesh leaving and part defenses just figuring out how to play us, but Nico was supposed to be a guy who could defeat good coverage by throwing the ball into tight windows and you are right that he doesn't ever seem to have been trusted to do that, or didn't trust himself.
Maybe we didn't have a QB selling it or disguising it. May he checked out of a play call. How many bubble screens did you see called this year.

The first place you need to look when the Offense is not flowing is the QB.

Our problem is we overpaid for a QB that may not have panned out leadership or play calling.
The offense as simple as it was, is probably a little more complex for Nico. In essence it is complex enough to make you think.
In reality, Tennessee could not admit to having a QB that was great talent but missing in between the ears.
After his RS Freshman year, NICO was behind the power curve. Looked great against weak and was average against SEC competition.
I wonder what his grades looked like.
 
#67
#67
Maybe we didn't have a QB selling it or disguising it. May he checked out of a play call. How many bubble screens did you see called this year.

The first place you need to look when the Offense is not flowing is the QB.

Our problem is we overpaid for a QB that may not have panned out leadership or play calling.
The offense as simple as it was, is probably a little more complex for Nico. In essence it is complex enough to make you think.
In reality, Tennessee could not admit to having a QB that was great talent but missing in between the ears.
After his RS Freshman year, NICO was behind the power curve. Looked great against weak and was average against SEC competition.
I wonder what his grades looked like.
It now sounds like he didn't really put in the work either. It's one thing if a guy just can't process constitutionally under the lights (like JG). It's entirely different when the effort is not there. The former situation is sad but ultimately not the person's fault, the latter is just infuriating as a fan, especially considering how much Spyre was paying him. Makes me a bit angry at many in Vol media also for building up this false narrative around Nico that they are all now admitting was not true.
 
#68
#68
Zero, in fact he owes us money. The timing of his move hurt our ability to replace him and thus hurt the program and his teammates. He can never come back in my opinion nor would he dare to try. I am tired of hearing his name, can't we just move on.
Yep. That’s the way I see it.
 
#69
#69
I believe he could have had an amazing year this year, but I'm a fan of following through on your word. If he had played well, it would have paid off in the long run. I think he has hurt his name, image, and future pay. If he had played poorly, I'm sure he wouldn’t donate the money back.
 
#70
#70
He couldn’t come back if he paid the program back all the money we’ve given him thus far. Kid is a cancer. The way he time his exit should tell everyone what a POS he is. Good riddance.
 
#71
#71
Probably north of 4 million. With all the ticket sales and talent taxes that were added because of the hype he brought to the program. You pay employees less than the value they provide if you’re into profits and all that.

If Sampson and the D hadn’t been so superior none of the above happened. He was given way too much credit for everything that happened last year.

Our D doesn’t hold to 20 a game and Nick goes 6-6. Dude was garbage. 7 better QBs in the SEC alone based on states.

Sampson and D earned that 4 million.
 
#72
#72
Like it or not, signing Nico gave our program a lot of recruiting momentum and positive media coverage. That alone was worth $4m
Not really. Our ratings had been quite stable with or without Nico. He was not worth the $2.4 he was getting.
 
#74
#74
He couldn’t come back if he paid the program back all the money we’ve given him thus far. Kid is a cancer. The way he time his exit should tell everyone what a POS he is. Good riddance.
He will be playing good teams in the B1G pretty close to SEC and he will be playing a lot up north in the Cold so there's that. He has got that 108 yard passing game vs OSU in the cold he can brag about. Places like Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa Illinois and Indiana etc just not what I'd want it amazes me that some really good players go up north I just hate the frigid weather.
 
#75
#75
Like it or not, signing Nico gave our program a lot of recruiting momentum and positive media coverage. That alone was worth $4m

Was that from signing Nico though? Or was it signing somebody for $8 million?

I don't disagree that we HAD to make a splash, but I just wish we could have done it with someone who actually didn't resent having to actually be here.
 
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