Deion Sanders couldn't distance Colorado from rumored Nico Iamaleava interest fast enough

A new dawn has arrived in Boulder.

Deion Sanders has made a strong impression in his first two seasons with the Colorado Buffaloes. After toiling in the college football basement for years, the Buffs finished last season 9-4 with a real path to the College Football Playoff. Arizona State wound up claiming the Big 12 crown, but the Buffs were, for stretches, the most intimidating team in the conference.

Now, Sanders faces a new challenge: keeping Colorado competitive without his marquee stars. Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are both projected first-round picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. That leaves Colorado without its Heisman Trophy winner at wide receiver and cornerback, as well as its star quarterback.

So much of the Buffs' success with Prime has been connected to the Sanders-Hunter duo. It was the most dynamic QB-WR pairing in college football last season, even with Sanders operating behind a leaky offensive line. Hunter was also a singularly gifted stopper in the defensive backfield. Without them, it's not immediately clear how Colorado will move forward.

Buffs fans were hit with a surprising bit of news — and perhaps optimism — over the weekend, however. Tennessee Volunteers castoff Nico Iamaleava was connected to Colorado as a potential landing spot. Again, these were rumors.

That said, Iamaleava's depature from the Vols program has been met with consternation. He essentially engaged in a holdout over NIL negotiations, a new frontier in this ever-changing college football landscape. That led Tennessee to move on, and Iamaleava to enter the portal.

Coach Prime does not seem interested in bringing the talented junior to Boulder if money is his primary motivation.

Deion Sanders immediately refutes Colorado's reported interest in Tennessee transfer Nico Iamaleava

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel did not mince words when discussing Iamaleava's unceremonious departure from the Vols.

"It's the state of college football," Heupel said. "At the end of the day, no one is ever bigger than the program. That includes me too."

Is this characterization of Iamaleava fair? That resides in the eye of the beholder. Tennessee's signal-caller is not the first star to create drama or even threaten the transfer portal in an effort to boost his NIL package. He is, however, the first high-profile holdout in college football, in the tradition of Brandon Aiyuk, Chris Jones, and countless NFL stars who look to apply pressure on their front offices by withholding services.

Iamaleava, of course, is not a professional, and we are still learning the new dynamics of today's NIL world. The Vols took a strong, principled stance and are sticking to it, and it would appear that Deion Sanders shares their feelings about Iamaleava's conduct.

"Not true," he wrote on X in response to the rumor of Colorado's interest in Iamaleava. "And God bless, we good."

This is a liiiiiittle rich coming from Coach Prime, who basically gutted his entire program and strong-armed players into the transfer portal upon arriving in Boulder, but there is a clear difference (at least in terms of perception) between hitting the portal outright and actually interfering with a program's day-to-day. Iamaleava skipped practices and left his teammates and coaches hanging. That has not endeared him to many fans.

Of course, whichever program lands Iamaleava is going to immediately vault up in the standings and increase the vigor of their fanbase. UNC and Bill Belichick are the current predicted favorites at 247 Sports, and Iamaleava is bound to field several juicy offers from top schools. He's one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country, with an NFL future to boot. Not every program will follow in Prime's footsteps.

We know one thing for sure, though: Iamaleava will not be Shedeur Sanders' successor in Boulder.