The new era of name, image and likeness payments (NIL) for college athletes is altering the landscape of NCAA sports faster than regulations can keep up with them. As each season goes by, the once amateur-dominated sport of college football is quickly developing into something resembling the NFL.
The latest example of that evolution came Saturday when Tennessee decided to move on from its star quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, after his representatives attempted to demand more NIL money. The rising sophomore wanted $4 million for his services and the Volunteers simply said, "no."
Like an NFL QB who attempts to re-negotiate his contract before deserving a raise, Iamaleava is finding out the hard way that he needs to win something before thinking he's actually a high-demand player.
Nico Iamaleava is running out of transfer destinations after failed NIL stunt
Iamaleava is expected to enter the spring transfer portal which opens on April 16. He was recently tied to places like USC but recent reports are indicating that the college football world may not want anything to do with him after his failed gamble in Knoxville.
Football Scoop's John Brice said Saturday that neither the Trojans nor national champion runner up Notre Dame have interest in Iamaleava. On top of that, Zach Barnett indicated that Texas Tech is also not going to explore bringing in the 20-year-old signal caller.
Iamaleava is running out of options fast. He very well could be made and example of and black balled from the sport entirely. Perhaps that's the unfortunate example college football needs to temper the ever-quickened pace of professionalism creeping into the game.
The starkest example of other programs following Tennessee's example came later Saturday when Miami's Mario Cristobal applauded the Volunteers' decision and affirmed that he would do the same should the occasion arise in Coral Gables. Ironically, Miami agreed to a $4 million NIL deal with former Georgia QB Carson Beck back in January.
This situation will be interesting to watch play out, but more in a can't-look-away-from-a-train-collision kind of manner.