Welcome to the New World of NIL

[Bobref]

Can we agree that something like this was inevitable? Now, the question is, how commonplace will it become?

https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/article/sources-tennessee-qb-nico-iamaleava-entering-transfer-portal-coach-josh-heupel-tells-team-135744572.html

Sources: Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava entering transfer portal, coach Josh Heupel tells team

'No one's bigger than the program," Heupel said before the Vols' spring game

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava has submitted paperwork to the school to enter the transfer portal, sources told Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger.

The redshirt sophomore's time in Knoxville is expected to be over, and Tennessee held a team meeting on the matter Saturday morning where head coach Josh Heupel informed players of the decision.

"No one's bigger than the program. That includes me, too," Heupel told Vol Network's Brett Hubbs before Saturday's Orange & White spring game. "We've got an opportunity. We've got a bunch of guys who are going to give their all for Tennessee. We move forward."

Iamaleava did not attend practice and meetings on Friday amid reports that he wanted to renegotiate his NIL deal with the program. (Iamaleava's father disputed a story by On3.) His absence was unexpected and people within the Tennessee program were reportedly frustrated by the attempt to change an agreement that was the richest in college football when Iamaleava signed it in 2023.

The No. 2 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class out of Warren High School in Downey, California, as ranked by Rivals, Iamaleava signed a four-year deal with Tennessee and its Vols Club collective for a reported $8 million, with $2.2 million of that to be paid for the 2025 season.

Yet the NIL market for quarterbacks has seen major changes recently. Carson Beckreportedly received $4 million from Miami after he transferred from Georgia, while Darian Mensah will get the same in his deal with Duke upon transferring from Tulane.

The spring transfer window opens on April 16 and will close on April 25. To be immediately eligible, Iamaleava has to play for a school outside the SEC. The deadline for transferring within the conference and being eligible for the following season was Feb. 1. Yet the winter transfer window was from Dec. 9-28 and Tennessee was competing in the College Football Playoff.

In his first full season as Tennessee's starting QB, Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns (with five interceptions), completing 63.8% of his passes. Additionally, he rushed for 358 yards and three scores on 109 carries. Against Ohio State in the CFP, Iamaleava completed 14-of-31 passes for 104 yards while rushing for 47 yards and two TDs. The Vols went 10-3 overall.

Redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger is in position to take over as the Vols' starting QB with true freshman George MacIntyre also on the depth chart. However, Tennessee's NIL collective has begun checking on potential transfers, according to ESPN

[Sparty]

Good for Tennessee 

[temptation]

[Coach Nowlin]

On 4/12/2025 at 3:16 PM, Bobref said:

Can we agree that something like this was inevitable? Now, the question is, how commonplace will it become?

https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/article/sources-tennessee-qb-nico-iamaleava-entering-transfer-portal-coach-josh-heupel-tells-team-135744572.html

Sources: Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava entering transfer portal, coach Josh Heupel tells team

'No one's bigger than the program," Heupel said before the Vols' spring game

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava has submitted paperwork to the school to enter the transfer portal, sources told Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger.

The redshirt sophomore's time in Knoxville is expected to be over, and Tennessee held a team meeting on the matter Saturday morning where head coach Josh Heupel informed players of the decision.

"No one's bigger than the program. That includes me, too," Heupel told Vol Network's Brett Hubbs before Saturday's Orange & White spring game. "We've got an opportunity. We've got a bunch of guys who are going to give their all for Tennessee. We move forward."

Iamaleava did not attend practice and meetings on Friday amid reports that he wanted to renegotiate his NIL deal with the program. (Iamaleava's father disputed a story by On3.) His absence was unexpected and people within the Tennessee program were reportedly frustrated by the attempt to change an agreement that was the richest in college football when Iamaleava signed it in 2023.

The No. 2 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class out of Warren High School in Downey, California, as ranked by Rivals, Iamaleava signed a four-year deal with Tennessee and its Vols Club collective for a reported $8 million, with $2.2 million of that to be paid for the 2025 season.

Yet the NIL market for quarterbacks has seen major changes recently. Carson Beckreportedly received $4 million from Miami after he transferred from Georgia, while Darian Mensah will get the same in his deal with Duke upon transferring from Tulane.

The spring transfer window opens on April 16 and will close on April 25. To be immediately eligible, Iamaleava has to play for a school outside the SEC. The deadline for transferring within the conference and being eligible for the following season was Feb. 1. Yet the winter transfer window was from Dec. 9-28 and Tennessee was competing in the College Football Playoff.

In his first full season as Tennessee's starting QB, Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns (with five interceptions), completing 63.8% of his passes. Additionally, he rushed for 358 yards and three scores on 109 carries. Against Ohio State in the CFP, Iamaleava completed 14-of-31 passes for 104 yards while rushing for 47 yards and two TDs. The Vols went 10-3 overall.

Redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger is in position to take over as the Vols' starting QB with true freshman George MacIntyre also on the depth chart. However, Tennessee's NIL collective has begun checking on potential transfers, according to ESPN

If coaches/Schools want to send a message......

they don't cave to the agent of this player and let him sit in the portal.........  This is not the NFL, there is no collusion clauses for something like this and if reports are true, another gold star for Dan Lemming who supposedly tipped Tennessee off that the Agent was sniffing around for a better deal 

[Bobref]

2 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said:

If coaches/Schools want to send a message......

they don't cave to the agent of this player and let him sit in the portal.........  This is not the NFL, there is no collusion clauses for something like this and if reports are true, another gold star for Dan Lemming who supposedly tipped Tennessee off that the Agent was sniffing around for a better deal 

It only takes one … to start a landslide of player holdout/renegotiation. Remember when they said in the NFL that they wouldn’t renegotiate contracts? Remember when they said there would never be guaranteed contracts in the NFL? These are very powerful market forces at work here. Once set in motion they are very difficult, if not impossible, to stop.

[Sparty]

Play who is there 

[Coach Nowlin]

 

 

All started December........

Again, if the so called Power 4 and rest of D1 coaches in football want to send a message of solidarity, this player does not get to continue next year and rots in the portal 

 

 

 

[Irishman]

I think cases like this one are just accelerating the demise of college athletics. 

With their hands tied as far as what they can do, it does appear the NCAA can set limits as well as standards for how agents operate. The pro leagues have some very demanding and strict guidelines in place for registering as an agent. I am surprised that it at least appears the NCAA has done very little so far, or does not seem interested in doing anything of substance. 

[Muda69]

On 4/12/2025 at 9:54 PM, temptation said:

Yep, with a name like I-am-a-leav-a what did Tennessee expect? 

[Coach Nowlin]

Ultimately about 5 years ago the NCAA is to really blame because they're hubris got the best of them and thought that they would just win every court case coming their way and they sat there idle knowing that they were just going to have this security immorality clause in their corner 

 

Instead they get caught with their pants down and the Wild Wild West has occurred and now they're scrambling to catch up to try to. Oh what's the word that I've been saying all the time now 

 

Establish guardrails yep, that's the buzz word phrase 

Good luck with that

[temptation]

A good story about NIL…

https://youtu.be/woJnDVXGciM?si=RKxTNS3XgfPBZ31Y

[Irishman]

Ripple effect

https://www.wishtv.com/news/purdue-fort-wayne-dropping-baseball-and-softball-amid-university-budget-cuts-and-revenue-sharing/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_WISH-TV&fbclid=IwY2xjawKd9dVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFQdllpb3Z2U2dtTzl5QkoyAR7d57FIdSyn2vtSj02sohk9Kgdiq29hJRU94Wc465-mo0iHxhpmvjktrCTjmQ_aem_g2QoUH8_xvRnI9gCBxDZ1A 

[Irishman]

 

 

[Irishman]

Seems like this is something the NCAA could have easily handled, and could even get under control. Why they choose to do nothing about this is mind boggling. Are the NCAA leaders just resigned to the fact that they will no longer be the governing body for at the very least football? 

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/behind-the-wisconsin-v-miami-tampering-lawsuit-over-transfer-db-xavier-lucas-that-was-months-in-the-making/ 

[Bash Riprock]

On 5/23/2025 at 8:49 PM, Irishman said:

 

 

I think a number of NCAA sports are in jeopardy....as funds will be used for the revenue generating sports.  This is a shame as this is significant development ground for current and future Olympians.

[Irishman]

On 6/24/2025 at 12:14 PM, Bash Riprock said:

I think a number of NCAA sports are in jeopardy....as funds will be used for the revenue generating sports.  This is a shame as this is significant development ground for current and future Olympians.

Speaking of Olympic sports. The NCAA is hoping to get some guarantees from NCAA schools to continue funding them. 
https://www.wishtv.com/news/funding-of-olympic-sports-a-bargaining-chip-as-ncaa-seeks-antitrust-help-ap-sources-say/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_WISH-TV&fbclid=IwY2xjawLKl7lleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFkS1o1Nng3RXZuU1djV0t6AR7F7UlgvljLyV2rwkkcO98MAjaSb4zEJymMquBODuVVIvSpCO_q0D9fRKOmww_aem_Kj4GfGL52TuuMoTGx16sGg 

[Irishman]

Coach O telling it like it is. We always knew. But remember when Saban had his feathers ruffled when Shane Gillis blew him crap on the GameDay set about it? 

 

 

[Coach Nowlin]

Pretends to be shocked !!! 

Did you happened to catch the clip about his recruitment of Adrian Peterson when he was at USC and him trying to get his dad transferred to prison in LA county so he could watch him play, Adrian said that is why he is going to Oklahoma bc the jail his dad is in plays Sooner games 

[Irishman]

6 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said:

Pretends to be shocked !!! 

Did you happened to catch the clip about his recruitment of Adrian Peterson when he was at USC and him trying to get his dad transferred to prison in LA county so he could watch him play, Adrian said that is why he is going to Oklahoma bc the jail his dad is in plays Sooner games 

I did…great story. 😂

[Coach Nowlin]

 

He is spot on

[Coach Nowlin]

Like I stated, if the price is right they'll play in an exhibition game 

 

If not, the agents are poaching them and getting them out of the schools into the portal 

No guardrails 

Wild Wild West 

Sad

 

 

[Bash Riprock]

Just getting silly…..

 

[Coach Nowlin]

 

 

 

 

 

[Coach Nowlin]

And here it is folks: 

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/breaking-news/article/how-are-schools-trying-to-lure-top-tier-qbs-in-transfer-portal-heres-an-inside-look-at-lsus-pursuit-of-brendan-sorsby-162435817.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAGGSkzCbO0NK_Po-5CfEw_Gghs-oGqF4_zxjkXYGW6XlpvPX1CxkZuDdQ_YyAchgzRs43Lv6wt0yBkvAZ6iZax25rDRs8mZS7WJwRuEgotbDGzSAULw1-1G7nfKuWIH_5y8a2qsHf54o_Ly3D-qI6Cyr0Zzyi-pMquWdPl9lq_tA

 

 

 

Thread:  Washington QB 

 

 

[Bash Riprock]

I just assumed the Lubbock beach front property was the deciding factor......