Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava Did No Show Up to Practice the Day Before UT's Spring Game Amid Reports of NIL Re-Negotiations

This fucking guy, man.

To say Tennessee's offseason as it relates to Nico Iamaleava has been tumultuous would be putting things mildly. There was a bit of a dust-up immediately following the conclusion of the 2024 season related to Nico's NIL situation and that seems to have been resolved just in time for another one to pop up right before Tennessee's spring game.

Reports emerged Thursday that Iamaleava was seeking a new contract before the spring transfer portal window opens and now it seems he didn't bother to show up for practice the day before the Vols play their annual Orange and White Game. Iamaleava'a dad denied the report, but it doesn't seem like skipping practice the following day is a great way to dispel any rumors.

With the report of Nico missing practice making its way to the media, it feels like things might be getting to a point that they're becoming untenable and those on UT's side are fed up. I spent three years being as high on this kid as you can possibly imagine, but at some point you have to stop letting your football program be held hostage by a 20-year-old. Tennessee would probably be fucked going into 2025 with either Jake Merklinger, true freshman George MacIntyre or someone out of the transfer portal, but I'll take that over rooting for a guy who wasn't nearly as good as I was led to believe to begin with and has spent the last four months trying to shake Tennessee down.

I don't know if this guy is going to be our quarterback in 2025, but if he is, he better make Peyton Manning look like Desmond Ridder after all this bullshit.