Nico Iamaleava "suffering the consequences" following Tennessee exit, contends Josh Pate

Nico Iamaleava was considered the next big star of Tennessee. He played well in the Citrus Bowl, throwing for 151 yards and four touchdowns. However, in the offseason, the quarterback tried his luck to max out his NIL offer, reportedly $4 million, but the Volunteers didn't budge.

They parted ways with the QB after he held out of practice. College football analyst Josh Pate talked about Iamaleava on Friday on "Josh Pate's College Football Show.'

"Facts are facts," Pate said (08:02). "He allowed himself to get in a really poor situation. He is now, and I'm going to use this term loosely, relatively suffering the consequences, in the most light, pencil form of the word suffering.

“He is suffering the consequences of it. He's only going to earn a low seven figures. That's the kind of suffering I'm talking about. But relative to what his earnings potential is, yes, he put himself in a disadvantaged position. However, everybody saw it. So, current players saw it.”

Pate added that high school players are watching what’s happening with Iamaleava. Many are realizing how bad advice or poor representation can hurt their careers.

Nico Iamaleava faces harsh criticism for NIL holdout with Tennessee

Nico Iamaleava is becoming a prime example of the state of the NIL landscape. He skipped Tennessee's spring practice last Friday, reportedly due to ongoing NIL contract negotiations. The QB's holdout received criticism, and on Thursday, LA Times reporter Bill Plaschke discussed the issue while appearing on the "Around the Horn" podcast.

"UCLA, don't do it," Plaschke said. "Don't take him. This kid is toxic. At some point, we have to talk about these kids. He had a $2.4 million salary, he wants to nearly double his salary even though he hasn't won a playoff game, and he walks out on the team on the first day of spring training.

"He's all about the money, he's not about the team. Two-and-a-half million dollars is not enough for him even though he's an average quarterback."

Reports suggest that other football programs interested in Iamaleava's services are offering him less than half of what he was originally getting paid.