‘23 CA QB Nicholaus Iamaleava (Tennessee)

[drvenner]

Finally got a minute for a quick look, and the first thing I saw was Tennessee commit then who! Then over 200 pages behind. About 4 hours later I got to page 215 lol. It was fun riding that roller coaster! Like digging for gold to get through the mud for those nice nuggets of good news! I am thrilled to get a player rated this high with the potential to change the program. And I am not wasting a second on possibilities of how many things could possibly go wrong. Because you have to start getting players like this to get other players like this. And the more you get the better your team gets. It was funny reading all the posts about how we would not get him knowing that we would.

Great to see you!!

 

[volbeast33]

You ever watched JG’s high school film? Looks impressive also.

With Heup’s system…. His chances of being successful are improved immensely….. the biggest part of him signing isn’t his play anyways…. It’s the talent and Hype that he will be bringing with him…. We are slowly becoming the new “it” school…. JG’s film was nowhere near the same level as Nico.

 

[Voltime123]

You ever watched JG’s high school film? Looks impressive also.

You ever looked at JG’s high school stats? Go take a gander then compare…

 

[orangejuice]

Go ahead and name the last top 10 (or top 100) player that wasn’t paid to go somewhere. It’s just now in the open.

 

[csprig9]

CJH and the staff did a ton of leg work To get this guy interested
NIL deal just made it happen sooner rather then later
Great job by the staff
Guess that poster forgot about how he turned hooker into a talked about draft prospect

 

[nicksjuzunk]

If he stays healthy Nico will probably leave UT the all time leader in passing yardage.

Let’s take a snap first before we start introducing probabilities of record falling.

 

[Kingzport]

You ever watched JG’s high school film? Looks impressive also.

Take into account Pruitt coached JG… Pruitt would make Tom Brady look bad..

 

[BigALWiLson]

You ever watched JG’s high school film? Looks impressive also.

Not even ***** comparable. CALI vs Jersey. Hmm??? Do you think you have a case ?

 

[TNHopeful505]

Nico is all ours. Damn the biggest recruit commitment I've seen in 20 plus years.

I mean....Bryce Brown was the #1 player in the country when he committed. Eric Berry and Kahlil McKenzie were both rated higher technically.

HOWEVER, did this player come at the time when we MOST needed something like this? Yes. And THAT is what sets this commitment off as special right now. After all of the investigation, after all of the transfers, after all of the turnover.....to come in and land this awesome of a prospect so early in the game?

That is absolutely huge. We have had "higher rated" recruits. But we have NEEDED this to set our program back on the right track.

It's nice to feel more like my "hopeful" self again.

GBO.

 

[butchna]

He could be your long lost pal and you could call him Betty.

I identify as Al.

 

[jakez4ut]

I identify as Al.

legit lol.

 

[butchna]

You ever watched JG’s high school film? Looks impressive also.

Highlight films are funny that way. Reviewing his high school STATS…not so impressive. I remember arguing that he had never completed a season as a starter. Ended up being wrong on that front because he was very durable. But he didn’t fly in the same airspace as Nico passing wise.

 

[sjt18]

You ever watched JG’s high school film? Looks impressive also.

Highlights? Yeah. He made some impressive plays. But with highlight videos you can't always be sure if those were typical plays... or the only 8 or 10 impressive plays the guy had.

Some of getting a recruit's ranking boosted is HC's politicking for them. Jones was always concerned about imagery. How he and the program "looked". He cared far more about recruit rankings and the visual image that created than any coach I've followed closely IMHO, he had a hand in getting JG overrated.

 

[butchna]

Highlights? Yeah. He made some impressive plays. But with highlight videos you can't always be sure if those were typical plays... or the only 8 or 10 impressive plays the guy had.

Some of getting a recruit's ranking boosted is HC's politicking for them. Jones was always concerned about imagery. How he and the program "looked". He cared far more about recruit rankings and the visual image that created than any coach I've followed closely IMHO, he had a hand in getting JG overrated.

Never believed that conspiracy theory. First, no way he had that kind of pull and second, if he did…why not use it for more players? JG was a 4 star…why couldn’t he finagle a 5th?

 

[Vols410]

Lmao we are paying 8mil for a QB that we have no idea if they will pan out or not. Look at all the top rated QB’s over the last 5-10 years. How many of them are major contributors? Odds aren’t in our favor.

Also.. not sure we can give the staff much credit for this. Spyre is the one making this happen not the staff. It’s not like they convinced a top rated QB to come here for free. This commit was bought not earned. Had another school stepped up to the plate with that kind of money would he still have chose us?

Posting again because this just isn’t true. If by “top-rated” you mean 4 or even 5-stars, sure, I agree. But for top 5 overall players, they pretty much all become major contributors. Take a look.

Seen a few posts (mostly in the FF, sorry...) with the typical "well, 5-stars can still be busts..." tripe, and wanted to check out the success rates of players of Nico's caliber. Important to note, he's not just a 5-star, top-30 player. He's a consensus 5-star, consensus top-5 player. Here are the only QB's that had an equal or higher rating coming out of high school since 2005.

2005: Mark Sanchez
2006: Matthew Stafford
2007: Jimmy Clausen
2007: Ryan Mallett
2008: Terrelle Pryor
2009: Matt Barkley
2009: Russell Shepard
2016: Shea Patterson
2016: Jacob Eason
2018: Trevor Lawrence
2018: Justin Fields
2020: Bryce Young
2021: Caleb Williams

Put any one of those guys (except Shepard) in Heupel's offense and they'd be successful. Now add in the likelihood of some top-tier WR's coming with Nico and it gets even better.

 

[volbeast33]

Posting again because this just isn’t true. If by “top-rated” you mean 4 or even 5-stars, sure, I agree. But for top 5 overall players, they pretty much all become major contributors. Take a look.

Russell Shepard would eat too…. It would just be as a wide receiver

 

[Nashvegas31]

What I hate about headlines is people roll with your paying a kid $8mil. He has to earn that. It’s incentive based. If he busts he isn’t getting $8 mil. That number if even true is simply potential he could make. We have no idea what the gates are to unlock that full potential. It could have performance things in it such as winning awards or titles bonuses. It could have recruiting class bonuses for helping land other players. The only thing that is upfront is $350k for rights to his NIL. I’m sure these numbers are not coming from out of nowhere. We are probably shocked by the numbers but who knows if this stuff was thrown around behind closed doors the whole time

 

[sjt18]

Never believed that conspiracy theory. First, no way he had that kind of pull and second, if he did…why not use it for more players? JG was a 4 star…why couldn’t he finagle a 5th?

I don't think it is a conspiracy theory. I think some coaches do it as a matter of habit to raise the image of their recruiting and themselves. There's some "logic" to it. If you are getting highly ranked classes then maybe the highly rated recruits will be more inclined to listen. So even if you get a guy overrated you may actually snipe some good players. I'm not even disputing the legitimacy of trying it if you don't have other skill.

IMHO, image was all Jones really had. He didn't have coaching talent, great leadership ability, good player management skills, football brilliance, great talent evaluation, etc. He had his used car salesman schtick. By nature they try to make their lemons look like premium rides.

You always had more hope in Jones than I did. There was always something about him that wasn't right to me. Somewhere between sickeningly corny... and downright slimy.

 

[sjt18]

What I hate about headlines is people roll with your paying a kid $8mil. He has to earn that. It’s incentive based. If he busts he isn’t getting $8 mil. That number if even true is simply potential he could make. We have no idea what the gates are to unlock that full potential. It could have performance things in it such as winning awards or titles bonuses. It could have recruiting class bonuses for helping land other players. The only thing that is upfront is $350k for rights to his NIL. I’m sure these numbers are not coming from out of nowhere. We are probably shocked by the numbers but who knows if this stuff was thrown around behind closed doors the whole time

You could essentially sign a new QB to the same deal each year. The back ups would still make the $350K base or whatever it is. The starter would make the big money because his NIL would be worth so much more.

 

[butchna]

I don't think it is a conspiracy theory. I think some coaches do it as a matter of habit to raise the image of their recruiting and themselves. There's some "logic" to it. If you are getting highly ranked classes then maybe the highly rated recruits will be more inclined to listen. So even if you get a guy overrated you may actually snipe some good players. I'm not even disputing the legitimacy of trying it if you don't have other skill.

IMHO, image was all Jones really had. He didn't have coaching talent, great leadership ability, good player management skills, football brilliance, great talent evaluation, etc. He had his used car salesman schtick. By nature they try to make their lemons look like premium rides.

You always had more hope in Jones than I did. There was always something about him that wasn't right to me. Somewhere between sickeningly corny... and downright slimy.

What’s the methodology? How would one coach rig a recruit’s ranking? And why limit it to one NJ kid? Why didn’t he make Will McBride a 4 star? You’re right about my optimism on Butch…since proven as faulty, but don’t sell yourself short on this one. You’ve bestowed Svengali level guru status with even less evidence. Ohio State had JG as a priority at the same time. Wouldn’t that be more influential in his rankings than BUTCH JONES?

 

[barrylee]

Lmao we are paying 8mil for a QB that we have no idea if they will pan out or not. Look at all the top rated QB’s over the last 5-10 years. How many of them are major contributors? Odds aren’t in our favor.

Also.. not sure we can give the staff much credit for this. Spyre is the one making this happen not the staff. It’s not like they convinced a top rated QB to come here for free. This commit was bought not earned. Had another school stepped up to the plate with that kind of money would he still have chose us?

Hallie, is this you??

 

[Captain Mitch]

I don’t understand why some of you all are so concerned with how much he’s getting paid. For the most part, it’s not even your money. Just be happy he’s a Vol

 

[sjt18]

What’s the methodology?

The same as a kid who tries to hang with all the "cool kids" to up his chances of dating a pretty girl. It was him trying to cultivate an image that convinced other players that top coaches were pursuing that he was a legit option. If you are Kentucky and sign mostly 3* kids every year then you have a much harder time convincing better players to give you a look.

How would one coach rig a recruit’s ranking?

I didn't say he rigged it. I said I believe he politicked those doing the rankings... he "sold" them hard. I'm not sure why you dispute that this happens. "Handlers" have done it a lot over the years trying to get players the best offers possible. If someone is in your ear a lot and constantly sending you video or other stuff to influence your decision... then sometimes it does.

And why limit it to one NJ kid? Why didn’t he make Will McBride a 4 star?

If you told someone that every lemon on your lot was a 5* used car then they'd just laugh at you. But saying your QB is a 4/5* and the 2nd best QB recruit in the country... your chances improve.

You’re right about my optimism on Butch…since proven as faulty, but don’t sell yourself short on this one. You’ve bestowed Svengali level guru status with even less evidence. Ohio State had JG as a priority at the same time. Wouldn’t that be more influential in his rankings than BUTCH JONES?

Definitely wouldn't hurt. OTOH, Burrell had to leave tOSU to become great. They unlike Jones had a QB room loaded with 4/5* guys. They could afford an overrated guy. They ended up signing Haskins who they likely would have chosen over JG if they only took one QB.

I'm not even saying that JG didn't look impressive. But lots of guys look impressive vs HS competition. The difference between a 3* who has a JG like career and a 4* is just the perception of those giving the rating... which can be influenced by someone who markets them and by who offers and by how they look in 7v7 and how they look in camps and their measurables.

We don't have to agree but I think Jones pushed for JG to get a 4th star to help his own "recruiting momentum" and because he had a relationship with the family. It wasn't the only factor but I think it made a difference.

 

[Dadof2Vols]

The haters that say he is coming to UT for the 8 mil are ignoring facts and being a hypocrite for not discussing the Alabama, A&M and Texas deals that went down before Nico.

The haters are ignoring:

• Nico has been looking at Tennessee for a while
• Heupel’s offensive is exciting and has been showing appeal to top offensive talent since early last season
• He sees an opportunity to start as Hooker will be leaving as he is arriving
• He is confident in himself and Heupel told him he will get a fair shot to win the starting job
• His goal is NFL and Heupel has proved himself as a QB whisper

If you had a child who was a QB talent would you suggest they go to Ga over Heupel. Their QBs are a mess. If you go to Alabama you might be behind Arch or some other QB.

For Tennessee this is great as Jackson is now motivated for the next 18 months to prove himself and next spring Jackson and Nico will be competing for that job. For Vol fans we go into the season with two capable QBs that are both light years ahead of JG.

So did he come to UT for $8 mil. No but it was probably the final really big straw as he would not have went to Vandy for 8 mil!

 

[sjt18]

Lmao we are paying 8mil for a QB that we have no idea if they will pan out or not.

Really? Who is "we". Are you saying that you have a big financial stake in this NIL?

Also, IF Nico is the player mentioned in the article... we still do not know the structure of his deal. He isn't simply getting $8 million. It is EXTREMELY likely that while his potential is $8 million... his name, image, and likeness have to actually have value before it happens.

Look at all the top rated QB’s over the last 5-10 years. How many of them are major contributors? Odds aren’t in our favor.

Just a guess... but I suspect it is close. A CEO signs on with a company with potential but weak books. The company needs a high flyer but cannot afford the risks of a big guaranteed salary. Instead of demanding a big base salary, he agrees to a base plus a very lucrative bonus package based on the additional value he is able to create for the company. That is very likely what Nico's deal looks like. If he's not the starter or successful then the Chevy dealership won't pay much to have him show up for his "spring sales event" or whatever. If he's competing for the Heisman.... then his NIL is a premium.

Also.. not sure we can give the staff much credit for this.

You are trying too hard to find fault and validate your hate. The staff deserves a ton of credit. They sold the program, the offense, and UT. Nico could have made NIL money at Oregon, Bama, or UGA. Oregon in particular could have had him selling Nike stuff all over the place for a handsome fee. The staff did an excellent job and being ahead of the game with NIL takes NOTHING away from the staff or program or UT.

Spyre is the one making this happen not the staff. It’s not like they convinced a top rated QB to come here for free. This commit was bought not earned. Had another school stepped up to the plate with that kind of money would he still have chose us?

Now you're just being stupid. Brice Young had an NIL deal for over a million before he became the starter at Bama. Someone is paying him $5,000 PER INSTAGRAM POST. Nico wouldn't have taken a pay cut if he'd signed with them and succeeded. Oregon will pay whatever they need to pay. I'm not sure where UGA is... but money support from fans has NEVER been a problem for UGA.