USA Today......"Time to let him go"

[10seV4L]

Pay him and see how the season plays out. If yall think a transfer learning the system or merk/mac is ready, yall are crazy. Merk is an an 8 win season. This is the landscape of nil. Minor league football. If we don't have the money to pay him. Someone else will.

... Then let's go get them 8 wins with some "real ones" (chips on shoulders, under doggs and such), and see what happens!!
- cue DMX growling audio
This is UT, capitalized and read with punctuation! Ain't no way we were gonna get punked by any one player or his family, in a public or private showdown. UT is amongst other strengths, a LAW school, lmao!! Shows exactly how much they didn't pay attention to who they were trying to fleece. Just zero situational awareness, smh

 

[sami]

For Nico, there's really no way back from the this. He would have to publicity make a statement about what happened and why, and apologize to the team and fanbase for any stress or ill will he might have caused. It would have to be sincere and convincing, and then he's have to absolutely ball out next season.

I was fine with Nico's performance last season: for a RS freshman on a huge stage against the highest level of competition he did pretty well.

I also think it's fair to adjust the deal now as the NIL market begins to mature and stabilize, considering objective data related to on the field performance and the pay scale compared to his peers.

But to do it this way is just pretty classless.

Because of the way he did it, there is really no way back. Taking all the QB1 snaps through spring practice hurts the development of Merk and G-Mac, and his walking at this point possibly creates doubt in the minds of guys like Mathews and Carter with the portal opening in a few days. This has the potential to be disastrous for the 2025 season.

 

[10seV4L]

Playing this out in the public eye was the dumbest of all the dumb moves I’ve ever seen by a family. Every NFL GM will now question his ability to lead and his character from here on out. What a waste.

... I'm also looking forward to the media and fan backlash towards the school that ponies up the cash and hitches their wagon to the "I." first family traveling circus???...

 

[HarderKnox59]

Tennessee football in the news again for all the wrong reasons. A big thank you to Nico and his dad. Next man up !

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

Yep just as a fan of another team I didn't see anything from him that shouted a top college QB worth 4 million a year. Not even close.

So you're saying you wouldn't trade for Lagway?

 

[herkyvol]

Tennessee football in the news again for all the wrong reasons. A big thank you to Nico and his dad. Next man up !

It would be worse if we caved. We may lose an extra game or two, but we have the moral high ground.

 

[jbarnes6]

Don't just let him announce on his own terms he's entering the portal. At the post game press conference today, Heupel should announce he's been dismissed from the team. Send the message now that even the highest paid 5 star won't have a spot if they pull this sort of thing and it will pay off over and over again to stop this going forward.

This is essentially what UT decided to do. The correct choice.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

Looking at Matt Hayes' other articles, a few days ago he was saying "pay the man" and talking up Nico's options. Journalists will write anything for a click, I guess.

Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava has plenty of options if he wants to leave Vols

If Tennessee can't keep QB Nico Iamaleava, here are five schools with NIL money who would be in position to land him.

www.usatoday.com

 

[orangerush]

I’m going to miss his nine SEC TD passes.

 

[Sudden Impact]

Nuff said. lol

 

[INDEFENSE]

The few times I questioned his play I heard about it but he never seemed to have it between the ears.

 

[DooleyOrangePants]

No…,we shouldn’t do that at all. The sentiment is vastly on our side. People are aggravated by what they see as an out of control system. You call out a 20 year old kid on TV and what parent would want their kid to come here? Let him hang himself and continue to look like the good guys.

He should be dismissed for two reasons:

1. Missing practice, meetings, etc. in the manner & timing that he did. He overtly sabotaged the spring practice period.

2. His “team” openly shopping interest during the season with other teams and coaches. We were hearing these rumblings pretty early last year, started to get confirmation late.

 

[sonofUT62]

He should be dismissed for two reasons:

1. Missing practice, meetings, etc. in the manner & timing that he did. He overtly sabotaged the spring practice period.

2. His “team” openly shopping interest during the season with other teams and coaches. We were hearing these rumblings pretty early last year, started to get confirmation late.

That’s fine. But there’s a difference between booting him and talking about him in a presser. First and foremost TODAY IS about the kids who busted their asses in the Spring and are now putting on a show for the fans. Saying we want to just talk about the kids still here is not just a canned media talking point.

 

[DooleyOrangePants]

That’s fine. But there’s a difference between booting him and talking about him in a presser. First and foremost TODAY IS about the kids who busted their asses in the Spring and are now putting on a show for the fans. Saying we want to just talk about the kids still here is not just a canned media talking point.

I completely agree with that. We don’t have to make it a production and get in the mud with him and his daddy. But we can make a short statement to the effect that he’s no longer with the team.

 

[VolsnRavens]

And for the first time ever, we can actually say, "Well, that aged well."

 

[Anti-shunshinepumper]

Pay him and see how the season plays out. If yall think a transfer learning the system or merk/mac is ready, yall are crazy. Merk is an an 8 win season. This is the landscape of nil. Minor league football. If we don't have the money to pay him. Someone else will.

Would rather put his money in basketball and live with a mediocre season than to have someone hold try to hold us hostage right before spring practice starts.
He can bounce.

 

[overseasorange2]

I’m going to miss his nine SEC TD passes.

You mean that doesn't warrant a raise from 2.5 to 4.0 million!

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

Can't really disagree with any of what was written

I'm sure Nico will get his money from someone.

I also think that team will have serious buyers remorse in the bitter end.

I know I kind of do. We were sold the next Manning and ended up getting a slightly better JG

I’m not sure we got a better JG. Put Nico on any of those teams JG played on with Butch or Pruitt as his coach, and I don’t think you would see much, if any, improvement out of the offense.

 

[OrangeTsar]

Heard Dad driving this bus. Hope it works out and he stays

I believe he is

 

[sonofUT62]

I’m not sure we got a better JG. Put Nico on any of those teams JG played on with Butch or Pruitt as his coach, and I don’t think you would see much, if any, improvement out of the offense.

We would have ended up with a Dead-er JG….Jennings would have BUSTED Nicos ass if they had played together.

 

[wrangler]

He not only screwed the Vols by taking first team reps in spring practice, he screwed himself by missing reps wherever he's going. Not sure who's driving his bus, but it's no rocket scientist.

 

[rumaso11]

I don't know how his current contract reads but if he defaulted on it they should sue him.

 

[VAVol85]

I’m going to miss his nine SEC TD passes.

And those handoffs to Sampson were amazing.

 

[Vol Farmer]

This is essentially what UT decided to do. The correct choice.

I don’t and never have done ultimatums well. Glad the program doesn’t either.

 

[dalton_vol]

The insanity that a player can just negotiate a deal at any time, just shows you how inept and horrible the NCAA is. Allowing all these portal windows is asinine. The one cannot hate the NCAA enough