Why Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava is worth the hype, NIL fuss as he prepares to take next step in 2024 season

Off the field, Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava could help change college football forever. The NCAA and the state of Tennessee are entangled in a federal antitrust lawsuit (of which Virginia is a co-plaintiff) over the legality of the association’s name, image and likeness (NIL) guidelines. The legal battle stems from an ongoing NCAA investigation into potential major violations at the University of Tennessee for NIL dealings across multiple sports. 

CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd reported that the NCAA’s inquiry in football centers around Iamaleava, who signed a record contract with Spyre Sports Group. Spyre is Tennessee’s primary collective and a member of the The Collective Association, a trade association of 30-plus collectives across the country.

I fully expect the NCAA to lose this fight, but it felt like a good time to see what all the fuss is about with Iamaleava, the No. 2 player in the 2023 recruiting class who chose the Volunteers over plenty of other big programs.

I went back and watched Iamaleava’s lone college start: Tennessee’s 35-0 dismantling of Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. Iamaleava finished the game with only 151 yards passing but threw a touchdown and ran for three more. More important than his numbers or his team’s overall performance, I wanted to get an idea of the player.

Long story short, there’s reason to be excited if you’re a Tennessee fan. The talent was obvious, even if the gameplan was expectedly simplified. Still, Iamaleava made his first career start against an Iowa defense that’s thrived on confusing quarterbacks and forcing turnovers for years. There were mistakes and missed opportunities, but Iamaleava didn’t turn the ball over and showed the kind of playmaking ability that can help win games.

We’ll…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/why-tennessee-qb-nico-iamaleava-is-worth-the-hype-nil-fuss-as-he-prepares-to-take-next-step-in-2024-season/

Author : Tom Fornelli

Publish date : 2024-02-13 22:49:11

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