Anyone heard about this with Nico and parents

#101
#101
I wouldn't care if he left. As the article points out, one good QB (i still debate that) vs a half dozen blue chip players elsewhere on the field is a no brainer for me. OHST didn't beat us with a good player. They beat us with a whole team of good players. I truly think we could get the same production or better at QB with a lesser guy (star gazer wise). We were so run dominant and defensively strong that we probably could have swapped any of the QB's and had the same result. I'll take all the flak you want to give me about it but I'm not buying stock in Nico. Can he change my mind? yes. But based on what I saw between him and the receivers this year, I just don't see it.
 
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#102
#102
SockeyeVol said:
If Nico is the reason we can't have elite receivers and an amazing offensive line, I'm ready to see what Merklinger can do.

Plenty of schools trot out a QB2 that turns out just fine.
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I'm with you. I like Nico, he's a great young man and I hope that he blossoms into a Heisman contender; that being said, if this article is true, spend the money at other positions. Between Merk and McIntyre, along with Brandon coming in 2026, the QB room is pretty stacked.
 
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#107
#107
xpsyclonex2002 said:
I wouldn't care if he left. As the article points out, one good QB (i still debate that) vs a half dozen blue chip players elsewhere on the field is a no brainer for me. OHST didn't beat us with a good player. They beat us with a whole team of good players. I truly think we could get the same production or better at QB with a lesser guy (star gazer wise). We were so run dominant and defensively strong that we probably could have swapped any of the QB's and had the same result. I'm take all the flak you want to give me about it but I'm not buying stock in Nico. Can he change my mind? yes. But based on what I saw between him and the receivers this year, I just don't see it.
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Sure seems like UGA agrees with you. They were elite with a not-elite Stetson Bennett steering a team with elite talent sprinkled elsewhere, and now Smart is letting QB1 walk instead of getting into a bidding war with Miami.
 
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#108
#108
JacketVol said:
We paid him and he still hasn’t earned it. He would’ve made it even if he played like Harrison Bailey. It’s like Acura’s 10 year contract and him being hurt so much. You sign for the upfront assurance. I could see wanting more if he knew how to look off a safety. I will be a fan of the QB but his parents need to go watch Arkansas.
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Unfortunately, the players have all the leverage right now because these are all year to year deals. They need to figure out a way for these NIL deals to be multi-year contracts, but you'd need 100% compliance across all NIL collectives for that to work.
 
#109
#109
cherokeeeVOL said:
I wish articles like that wouldn't be written. I get that won't happen but all it does is fuel speculation, invites numerous threads on message boards like this and makes assumptions about Nico that may or may not be true. It's not fair to him or his family if it never happened and we can't prove it one way or the other. It gives media types fodder and potentially pushes a false narrative.
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Exactly this right here. We have no idea what and what isn't true so what's the point of getting pissed. Even if it is true we shouldn't be mad at the players. Be mad at the system.
 
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#112
#112
Brave Volunteer said:
Unfortunately, the players have all the leverage right now because these are all year to year deals. They need to figure out a way for these NIL deals to be multi-year contracts, but you'd need 100% compliance across all NIL collectives for that to work.
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Youre right, that would suppress a lot of the transferring mid-career. But it still won't solve the bidding wars once a player IS available. And the roster problems that result.
 
#113
#113
OrangeBeachVol said:
Shame this is where the NIL is going right now. Controls are badly needed.
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Per sources to xxxxxx and confirmed by Will West of The Sports Animal, Iamaleava’s family, not Nico, lobbied for more money following the season than they had previously been promised when he was recruited from California in the Vols’ 2023 class. In the NIL era, contracts are about as helpful as a missed pass block on the field. Sure, they’re there, but they’re just a whiff of what could have been.

One has to wonder if the Vols should have let Iamaleava walk and spent the massive amount of money he’s costing Tennessee on other positions, either to keep current players, like receiver Mike Matthews, who also reportedly asked for a raise, to keep current Vols in their current roles or go get transfers to bolster the roster.

Would you rather have a handful of good players or a pretty good quarterback? That was the quandary, especially since the Vols are currently trying to bring NIL spending in-house and, hopefully, stick to some sort of NIL budget. That has been a challenge.

Per sources, Iamaleava’s family was the driving force behind the forced raise, and he felt caught in the middle. There is absolutely no indication that Iamaleava is anything but a perfect teammate, but agents and parents do what agents and parent do. They look out for their own, even if it is to a fault.
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Only to control freaks.
 
#114
#114
Brave Volunteer said:
Notice you never hear of ANY football player being in academic trouble anymore? I sincerely doubt it's because the players are getting smarter!
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Some of it is due to colleges offering more majors in sports management and related topics for the 98% of athletes that don't go pro.

I dropped out of college after my freshman year because it didn't offer anything in which I was remotely interested.

I went back 5 years later when new majors that interested me were made available. I went from meh grades to an honors graduate.
 
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#116
#116
Honestly, being able to man up and put the parents in their place is one of the most important steps to maturity and manhood. I had to do it early in life. Moved out when I was 18 yrs old and had no relationship with parents for 3 yrs all because they refused to accept healthy boundaries.

It sucks and it’s really difficult but it is a critical part of becoming a man.
 
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#118
#118
ZZ13 said:
As fans, we simply need to only look in the mirror to find out why all this happened. We want college football to be a key hub of our lives. So we have proven, so far, there us no limit to what we will pay for that. Stop paying and this will stop in its tracks. But we aren't going to do that and the businesses surrounding college football know it. I find it ironic that we complain how horrible it is now, but at the same time we open our wallets wider and wider to enable it.
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Completely agree we are creating a self fulfilling prophecy here. We love our SWAG, we love our games, We love our TV.... College football (CFB) is part of our culture so no way, at least not right now, will this change. I am curious as to what long term ramifications this will have. Do ratings drop? Do we drift to the NFL with out $s and time? What does CFB look like in 5 years? Who knows....

Again, I'm happy these kids have the opportunity to earn their worth but man, it just feels like everthing we've put into Tennessee has been devalued..... (insert sad trombone)
 
#119
#119
He didn't perform up to his ability or the salary this year. I think the jury is still out when it comes to reading defenses and making adjustments in game situations.
 
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#122
#122
Apparently... Nico's "people" don't understand the concept of leverage. Nico hasn't done one thing to demand another dime. If he portals, so be it. We'll see how much he makes. The days of recruiting and PAYING for HS kids are OVER. The money will be spent on proven commodities. Sit back and watch.
 
#123
#123
Delmar said:
Rather than making blanket statements about my feelings, you might want to consider all facets of the situation. Obviously you haven’t paid attention to what I’ve said in the past. I don’t mind the players getting a share of the pie. The money is being made off their labor. What I don’t like:
-Agents/relatives/players extorting the university for more money after they made an agreement. It’s only a matter of time before a player decides to strike mid-season or even at halftime.
-Tampering during the season by other schools.
-Players transferring 3,4 and even 5 times in 3 years.
- A playoff team like UT losing several role players to the portal BEFORE the playoff game. Non-playoff teams (like Oklahoma) losing 20 players before a bowl game. Not sure why they should even play a bowl game under those circumstances.
- Turning the college game into NFL Lite. If I wanted to root for a team full of mercenaries, I’d find an NFL team.
- Going into this new world with very little thought, rules or guidelines. That is a recipe for anarchy and it’s what we have now. That rarely turns out well.

I certainly don’t know what the answer is. But if you don’t think those are issues, then I can’t help you and there’s no sense discussing it.
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It will self correct. I'm not losing any sleep over it. It's extortion if you are being made to pay something against their will. As many have stated, the market (collectives) is setting the prices. What person wouldn't want to maximize their earning potential. Any employer will question why a player is transferring multiple times. This is new, but once players and coaches realize that you really need to stay in one spot, 2 at most to develop and have success as a team, the better off the sport will be.
 
#124
#124
S.C. OrangeMan said:
Some of it is due to colleges offering more majors in sports management and related topics for the 98% of athletes that don't go pro.

I dropped out of college after my freshman year because it didn't offer anything in which I was remotely interested.

I went back 5 years later when new majors that interested me were made available. I went from meh grades to an honors graduate.
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That might be some of it, but no matter what your major is, there is still core curriculum that all students have to take. I'm not under the impression that most anyone who is playing football is an aspiring brain surgeon. I just think universities have have developed such sophisticated methods to circumvent the system in an elegantly fool proof way now, it's practically impossible for players to fail.

In other words, there's more going on at the Thornton Center than tutoring!
 
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#125
#125
What's weird to me is the amount of people that will complain about this (capitalism) but just about kick and scream in the floor about socialism if anyone mentions taxing billionaires at a higher tax. Your either for capitalism or against it. They are one in the same.
 
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