Nico Iamaleava’s college future in doubt after messy Tennessee exit, unusual alternative suggested | Sporting News

The Nico Iamaleava ordeal in Knoxville just continues to get messier.

With his sudden departure, he has shown everyone that hes a quitter whenever things dont go his way a trait that, unfortunately, isnt all that uncommon among young athletes in college sports.

Whether this situation stems from Iamaleavas representatives or is solely his decision, its a bad look.

In just 48 hours, the matter escalated rapidly going from simple negotiations to Iamaleava being dismissed from the team by head coach Josh Heupel.

Iamaleava reportedly wanted a $2 million raise for the upcoming season, but that clashed with the culture Heupel has worked to build, so it was never going to happen.

Right before the winter portal closed, Iamaleavas reps wanted to see his deal upped to $4 million range and again this time as the spring portal opens Wednesday, Chris Low posted.

While its not unusual for college athletes to seek more money in todays NIL era, holding out like a professional athlete is where things crossed a line.

For Heupel, that was the tipping point the deciding factor in moving on from his starting quarterback.

Friday morning when (Nico) is a no-show, Heupel said.

You come off the practice field, and theres no communication.

Iamaleava has faced heavy backlash over the weekend.

The way he handled the situation has led some to believe that no top football program wants to take a chance on him though, in fairness, this kind of drama isnt completely unheard of in the modern game.

Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp Emory Hunt, a CBS analyst, even offered an unusual suggestion for Iamaleava in case things continue to spiral.

If I'm a UFL team, I'd reach out to Nico Iamaleava to gauge his interest in signing.

Because, at this point, bridge may be burned in CFB, Hunt wrote.

Its a bold suggestion, but at this point, someone is likely going to pay the man.

Still, its entirely possible that the damage done to one program might be enough to make others think twice about taking the risk..

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