The Tennessee Volunteers landed five-star quarterback recruit Nico Iamaleava in 2022 with one of the largest NIL deals in college football history. Coming off his first season as the full-time starter, the two sides reportedly now have to work out a new deal.
Iamaleava, a 6-foot-6 quarterback, was rated by 247 Sports as the second-best player in the 2023 recruiting class. He emerged as the Volunteers’ starting quarterback this past season, helping the program reach the College Football Playoff for the first time.
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- Nico Iamaleavea stats (ESPN): 2,616 passing yards, 19-5 TD-INT, 63.8% completion rate, 7.8 ypa, 145.3 QB rating, 258 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns
However, the college football transfer portal and the demand for quarterbacks has sent NIL prices skyrocketing. As a result, the Volunteers have had to start negotiations on a new agreement with their star quarterback.
According to Pete Nakos of On3.com, Tennessee is in active contract talks with Iamaleava on a new NIL deal ahead of the spring transfer portal window opening next week. There’s an added focus on getting a deal done with Iamaleava’s deal now falling below the market for top quarterbacks.
Fortunately, per Nakos, Iamaleava is happy in Knoxville and has a great relationship with head coach Josh Heupel. Tennessee is hoping to get a deal done in advance of its spring Orange-White game.
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- Nico Iamaleava NIL deal: $2-plus million
When the Miami Hurricanes landed quarterback Carson Beck in the transfer portal, they reportedly had to offer him $4 million. While he does have a better track record of on-field success than Iamaleava, Tennessee is still likely staring down at having to pay their young starter more than $3 million next season.
Fortunately, both sides are interested in working out a deal and the optimism in Tennessee suggests an agreement could be reached by Saturday. As long as that happens, the Volunteers will have one of the best quarterbacks in college football next season.