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Apr. 17—College football took another step toward the professional level on Saturday.
Tennessee star quarterback Nico Iamaleava sat out of practices and meetings over NIL contract disputes. He was expected to make $2 million for the 2025 season, but wanted a rumored $4 million. Iamaleava wasn't going to play until he received more money.
This is another step toward the professional level because NFL players always hold out over wanting a new contract, but this is the first time we see it at the collegiate level.
Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel didn't give in to the demands and moved on from Iamaleava. Iamaleava has since entered the transfer portal.
"It's unfortunate in the situation we are at with Nico, " Heupel said after Tennessee's spring game Saturday. "I told the guys today, there's no one bigger than the Power T."
This shook up all parties. Iamaleava led the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff last year, and this year, they were expected to be a threat to win the Southeastern Conference.
It's an interesting situation that poses the question of what if this had happened at West Virginia ?
Rich Rodriguez has been vocal this spring about how he wants college football to adopt an NFL-style model with one portal window, contracts, and more guardrails for this new era. He also said that because of the sport's trending, all players will be under contract. But he hasn't discussed what he'd do if a player holds out.
Rodriguez hasn't spoken to the media since the Iamaleava-Tennessee issue, but he did talk about paying players to help the program at the end of March.
"Dudes that help us win, period, " Rodriguez said on March 25. "Every decision we make is on does it help us win."
That makes it sound like Rodriguez is willing to pull out the wallet for certain players, but he said the player can't just play well. They need to have the right attitude, commitment, toughness and durability.
Rodriguez also discussed how players might transfer because of money, a month before the holdout. Although Rodriguez is an old-school coach, he's modernizing with the sport, but he still has his old-school philosophies, like players wanting to play for the love of the game rather than the paycheck.
"If money is your sole factor for doing that, you're probably not going to be as good as you can be, " Rodriguez said. "I hope it's because you want to be the best at what you're doing, not because you think that's going to help you get a bigger payday. 'Do you love football, and you're playing it because you love football ? Or are you playing it just for the money ?'"
With the portal opened up and around 30-plus Mountaineers jumping in, it's hard to tell without being behind closed doors if players entered the portal for more money or just playing time. For most, it'll be more playing time. Rodriguez didn't think any players on his roster are just playing for the money.
If Rodriguez were in Tennessee's situation, it sounds like he'd side with Heupel rather than give in to Iamaleava's demands. Rodriguez believes players should be at West Virginia for the love of the university and the opportunities it offers.
"We got a tremendous fanbase, a great atmosphere, " Rodriguez said. "You guys give them great coverage. They have great opportunities besides getting paid. I'm trying to appeal to our guys competitiveness as a player more than as an object that's getting paid money."
Continue reading...
Tennessee star quarterback Nico Iamaleava sat out of practices and meetings over NIL contract disputes. He was expected to make $2 million for the 2025 season, but wanted a rumored $4 million. Iamaleava wasn't going to play until he received more money.
This is another step toward the professional level because NFL players always hold out over wanting a new contract, but this is the first time we see it at the collegiate level.
Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel didn't give in to the demands and moved on from Iamaleava. Iamaleava has since entered the transfer portal.
"It's unfortunate in the situation we are at with Nico, " Heupel said after Tennessee's spring game Saturday. "I told the guys today, there's no one bigger than the Power T."
This shook up all parties. Iamaleava led the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff last year, and this year, they were expected to be a threat to win the Southeastern Conference.
It's an interesting situation that poses the question of what if this had happened at West Virginia ?
Rich Rodriguez has been vocal this spring about how he wants college football to adopt an NFL-style model with one portal window, contracts, and more guardrails for this new era. He also said that because of the sport's trending, all players will be under contract. But he hasn't discussed what he'd do if a player holds out.
Rodriguez hasn't spoken to the media since the Iamaleava-Tennessee issue, but he did talk about paying players to help the program at the end of March.
"Dudes that help us win, period, " Rodriguez said on March 25. "Every decision we make is on does it help us win."
That makes it sound like Rodriguez is willing to pull out the wallet for certain players, but he said the player can't just play well. They need to have the right attitude, commitment, toughness and durability.
Rodriguez also discussed how players might transfer because of money, a month before the holdout. Although Rodriguez is an old-school coach, he's modernizing with the sport, but he still has his old-school philosophies, like players wanting to play for the love of the game rather than the paycheck.
"If money is your sole factor for doing that, you're probably not going to be as good as you can be, " Rodriguez said. "I hope it's because you want to be the best at what you're doing, not because you think that's going to help you get a bigger payday. 'Do you love football, and you're playing it because you love football ? Or are you playing it just for the money ?'"
With the portal opened up and around 30-plus Mountaineers jumping in, it's hard to tell without being behind closed doors if players entered the portal for more money or just playing time. For most, it'll be more playing time. Rodriguez didn't think any players on his roster are just playing for the money.
If Rodriguez were in Tennessee's situation, it sounds like he'd side with Heupel rather than give in to Iamaleava's demands. Rodriguez believes players should be at West Virginia for the love of the university and the opportunities it offers.
"We got a tremendous fanbase, a great atmosphere, " Rodriguez said. "You guys give them great coverage. They have great opportunities besides getting paid. I'm trying to appeal to our guys competitiveness as a player more than as an object that's getting paid money."
Continue reading...
