Tennessee & Nico Iamaleava are in active contract negotiations ahead of the 2025 season

#176
#176
Man, I love CFB and my Vols, and I understand trying to make the most money you can, but NIL is ruining a beautiful thing. Stuff like this is why I lost interest in the NFL.

Used to, kids WANTED to play for a certain school and a commitment meant something. Now it's just a business proposition and no loyalty or passion and that's what separated cfb from everything else.
 
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#177
#177
TennesseeTarheel said:
So, he feels he’s given us 8 million dollars worth so far? 😜
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This is a great deal...such a great deal. Historians will look back and say that it's unbelievable that Vol Nation kept him at such a great price, a steal really...if you ask me. Nico is like the stock market this week...he was up and then he was down, for a very brief time (very brief), and then back up...and he's going to go to heights people have never seen. (trump voice)
 
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#178
#178
One of the worst parts of NIL is that it can't be incentive based. I wouldn't personally have a problem with him negotiating more if there were performance requirements attached to it.
 
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#179
#179
And this is the exact reason I didn’t renew my season tickets. The complete mismanagement of college football and other revenue sports has turned college athletics into an entity that will become worse than professional sports with never ending contract negotiations and play for the highest bidder. No thanks.
 
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#180
#180
Woodlawn VOL said:
He has played 1 year of college ball, to say he hasn’t or won’t meet expectations is premature based on one 10-3 season that made playoffs. You may end up right or wrong, but basing off 1 year is totally way to early. I guess you would have been ready to toss Manning after his freshman season as well. GBO
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People are more patient and forgiving when the player isn't being paid $8m.
Honestly I'm still not sold. He hasn't made me say wow for all the hype he got. No hate but I remember seeing Tua and thought hey that kid going to tear it up, speaking of Bama, that kid they got now looks to have the potential to take the starting job from Ty Simpson.

This is probably going to be Nico last year as a Vol if he sticks around, if he lights it up he'll enter the draft, if not he's probably going to be asked to move on as they let one of the other QBs take a shot at it while Fazion sits next year and learns
 
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#181
#181
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#182
#182
It's like paying hush money to keep a story quiet= once they find out you have money , they never stop demanding more. This "pay me or I leave" will never end. I would rather have a hard nose QB like Vandy's last year who was fighting for a 1st down on every play. This is a heck of a way to show appreciation to your teammates and school. .
 
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#183
#183
JohnnyJava said:
Ohio State just won the national championship with the highest payroll in the nation, and many want our best qb to leave because they think that salary negotiations are not part of the landscape now? Maybe leaving the decision making advice to the professionals would result in a happier viewing experience.
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Ohio St's QB was better than Nico and didn't take 3 years to groom him into playing like an elite qb.
 
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#184
#184
Ttucke11 said:
I think he will play for less than 8M and be just as good. Nico was slightly better than 2019 JG and a little worse than 23 Milton. Those two got loads of crap on here constantly, but Nico somehow gets a pass.
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I’ve been pretty vocal about thinking that Nico is that caliber of QB, but it isn’t a very well-received opinion around here.

People who aren’t Tennessee fans laugh at the idea that he is worth this sort of money. Eventually all of us Vol fans will see it too, even if only a few will admit it to this point.
 
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#185
#185
RockyTop140 said:
How do you know guys would leave with Nico? It’s not like our backups are nobodies… they were both pretty highly rated
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I don't KNOW that Nico is even thinking of leaving but I do know he's a leader in the locker room and if he's lost faith in the team and will make a Spring move, others MIGHT easily follow his lead.

Merk and G-Mac aren't Nico in rating nor experience. One of the things we saw early in last season was Nico getting used to starter role and we'd see that in Merk or G-Mac. We'd see guys who spent most of Spring throwing as #2 or #3 suddenly throwing as #1.

Timing, routes, etc..... all the communication and work Nico has done with the receivers over the off-season and Spring gone.
 
#188
#188
sjt18 said:
One of the worst parts of NIL is that it can't be incentive based. I wouldn't personally have a problem with him negotiating more if there were performance requirements attached to it.
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It should be just like it is with coaches. You prove it and you get the raise.
 
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#190
#190
Didn't he get like 9mil or something like that already? If this is a case of the highest bidder, I don't even wish him all the best. So, did he come.to UT to take the program to higher heights or to have us spend all our NIL money on one player? What about the rest of the team? I think they'd like to eat too.
 
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#191
#191
SayUWantAreVOLution said:
I don't KNOW that Nico is even thinking of leaving but I do know he's a leader in the locker room and if he's lost faith in the team and will make a Spring move, others MIGHT easily follow his lead.

Merk and G-Mac aren't Nico in rating nor experience. One of the things we saw early in last season was Nico getting used to starter role and we'd see that in Merk or G-Mac. We'd see guys who spent most of Spring throwing as #2 or #3 suddenly throwing as #1.

Timing, routes, etc..... all the communication and work Nico has done with the receivers over the off-season and Spring gone.
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If Nico is a glorified game manager again this year and we go 9-3 was it worth keeping everybody?? I mean cause at that point Tennessee got fleeced. Time to put up or shut up if your name is Nico. The family keeps throwing gasoline on the fire. I hope it pays off for them cause if it doesn’t it will get ugly. And I don’t know if his coat tail riding dad’s ego will be able to take it
 
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#195
#195
Just getting the AI perspective, the cost of QBs has gone up like most other things in America.

Talented college quarterbacks are at the forefront of lucrative NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals, with some earning millions, like Arch Manning (Texas) with a $6.5 million valuation, and Darian Mensah (Duke) reportedly receiving an $8 million deal, highlighting the growing impact of NIL on college athletics. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Here's a breakdown of some notable quarterback NIL deals and valuations: [2, 3, 5]
  • Arch Manning (Texas): [2, 3, 5]
    • He has a reported NIL valuation of $6.5 million. [2, 3, 5]
    • He has deals with Red Bull, Uber, and Panini, and recently signed with Vuori Clothing. [3, 6, 7]
    • He is considered the highest-valued college athlete in the country. [8]
  • Darian Mensah (Duke): [1, 9]
    • Reportedly received an $8 million NIL deal over two years, making him the highest-paid player in college football history. [1, 9]
  • Carson Beck (Miami): [2, 5, 10]
    • Has a reported NIL valuation of $4.3 million. [2, 5, 10]
  • Other Notable Quarterbacks: [10]
    • DJ Lagway (Willis, TX) has a reported NIL valuation of $3.8 million. [10]
    • LaNorris Sellers (Florence, SC) has a reported NIL valuation of $3.7 million. [10]
    • Garrett Nussmeier (Flower Mound, TX) has a reported NIL valuation of $3.6 million. [10]
    • Cade Klubnik (Austin, TX) has a reported NIL valuation of $3.3 million. [10]
    • Drew Allar (Medina, OH) has a reported NIL valuation of $3.2 million. [10]
    • Nico Iamaleava (Long Beach, CA) has a reported NIL valuation of $3.1 million. [10]
    • Sam Leavitt (Portland, OR) has a reported NIL valuation of $3 million. [10]
    • Bryce Underwood (Belleville, MI) has a reported NIL valuation of $2.9 million. [10]
    • John Mateer (San Luis Obispo, CA) has a reported NIL valuation of $2.8 million. [10]
  • NIL Valuation and Roster Value: [10]
    • On3.com provides NIL valuations and roster values for college football players.
 
#197
#197
Unless I missed it somewhere, has it been reliably reported that he's renegotiating for more money?

What if he's renegotiating to free up money for some monster pick up in the portal that would improve his chances of playing for a championship here?
 
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#199
#199
BruisedOrange said:
Unless I missed it somewhere, has it been reliably reported that he's renegotiating for more money?

What if he's renegotiating to free up money for some monster pick up in the portal that would improve his chances of playing for a championship here?
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It's not really like the pros where a star does that because of the salary cap. At least that's not how it's worked previously. If the school needs more money, they get more from the donors.
 
#200
#200
Why can’t they be discussing what coming back for R-Jr season would look like given different potential outcomes of 2025 season? Does anyone really know what they’re truly discussing? I’m not looking for the cheap “it all about Money” answer… money is always involved in everything. There are other motivating factors as well though…
 
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