By Mark Pszonak
Nico Iamaleava had every right to do what he did, but so did Tennessee. And as a result, both sides are left in a situation that they didn’t expect to be in 48 hours ago. The Vols will likely turn to one of the younger quarterbacks on their roster, while also looking to add a veteran through the transfer portal. For Iamaleava, all eyes will be on him and his upcoming recruitment. The most likely scenario sees him ending up at a P4 program and starting in 2025, however that wouldn’t be the best outcome for the sport.
College football needs a reboot. College football needs Iamaleava to slip to the G5 level. Instead of ending up at USC, North Carolina or Notre Dame, he needs to end up in the Sun Belt or Conference USA. This is the only way that other players won’t attempt the same tactic. It likely wouldn’t stop it from happening completely, but it would help self-regulate the free agency that has taken over the sport. And self-regulation is what is needed since nobody else seems willing to do anything about the chaos.
Personally, the last couple of days have been frustrating. The first time I saw that Iamaleava was “renegotiating his contract” my initial response was “WTF”. The sport was obviously bruised and beaten, but seeing blatant NFL terminology during spring practice was a “WTF” moment for me.
But now I feel better. I’m not saying that this will suddenly remedy the overall chaos, but it should and could be an eye-opener for many players. Iamaleava played his cards and lost. But he hasn’t completely lost his stack. If he loses his next hand and ends up in the G4, then that will be a bitter pill to swallow for him and everyone associated in his decision making.
For the first time in a long time, there should be some level of optimism in college football.
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