The college football world awoke to the news that the Tennessee Volunteers football team was moving on from quarterback Nico Iamaleava following failed renegotiations around his NIL payments.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that the decision stemmed from his skipping practice on Friday amid NIL contract discussions. That came after Iamaleava’s father lambasted a reporter for saying the two sides were in negotiations, which was true.
On Saturday, the consensus seemed to be that Iamaleava was greedy or selfish and that Tennessee would be better off without him. Others felt that the quarterback was simply asking for what he felt was his worth, something that can be hard for the college football world to accept from players who have long waited their turn to financially benefit from the lucrative revenue they generate.
ESPN’s Ryan Clark shared his perspective Saturday, saying you shouldn’t blame Iamaleava or Tennessee. The blame should be laid at the feet of the NCAA.
Nico Iamaleava is right to fight for every single penny he feels he deserves, & the University of Tennessee has every right to decide he isn’t worth it. The problem is that former NCAA president Mark Emmert had a chance to protect them both from being in this position. The NCAA’s… pic.twitter.com/x8i8UBWI5h
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) April 12, 2025
“Nico Iamaleava is right to fight for every single penny he feels he deserves, & the University of Tennessee has every right to decide he isn’t worth it,” Clark wrote. “The problem is that former NCAA president Mark Emmert had a chance to protect them both from being in this position. The NCAA’s failure to do the one thing it was created to do shows why leadership matters.
“The NCAAs refusal to be on the right side of history has us looking at the present like “What the F*ck?”. So, who’s to tell Nico he doesn’t deserve $4 million, & who’s to say someone hasn’t already said they got it for him. So, don’t be mad at Nico or Tenn. Place the blame where it belongs… Squarely on the greedy shoulders of the NCAA.”
Clark added in his video that he thinks it’s fair for Iamaleava to look at what Miami and Carson Beck did and ask for something similar. He feels that ultimately, the NCAA makes rules and regulations, and it’s not up to the players or coaches to figure this out independently.
He added that he hopes Iamaleava feels protected when finding a situation where he can make money and be cared for by coaches and administrators.
