nico iamaleava: Super Bowl winning QB slaps NCAA with a reality check after Nico Iamaleava leaves Tennessee over $4M contract

Super Bowl winning QB slaps NCAA with a reality check after Nico Iamaleava leaves Tennessee over $4M contract

NCAA Football: CFP National Playoff First Round-Tennessee at Ohio State - Source: Imagn — Nico Iamaleava will reportedly enter the transfer portal. - Source: Imagn

With Nico Iamaleava and the Tennessee Volunteers set to part ways after being unable to strike a deal, former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel shared his thoughts on the situation.

In a video posted on his official X account, the Super Bowl-winning quarterback declared that he believes the NCAA's lack of regulations on the matter opened the door for the messy breakup. The 38-year-old highlighted Pete Thamel's report on the split between the quarterback and the school and said:

"The NCAA, you have to figure out some guidelines and some rails, and some rules in this whole situation...college is about amateurism, they are not pros. If you are going to make them pros, collectively bargain something like they do in the NFL. Give them contracts so they are tied to the school as well," Chase Daniel said.

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For many years, college players were considered amateurs, so they were unable to cash in on endorsement deals or get any kind of payment for their performances on the field. That changed with the introduction of NIL deals in 2021. However, regulations are still loose.

Therefore, the former NFL QB wanted the NCAA to tighten it's regulatory methods on players' payment to avoid such unfortunate outcomes.

Daniel also believes Tennessee did the right thing by cutting ties with the quarterback. While the Vols will be facing some challenges ahead of the 2025 season, the former Eagles quarterback believes it's the best move for the program.

"You can not have a quarterback hold your team hostage. I'm sure he's gonna get more money, but it's just not worth it," Daniel said.

Nico Iamaleava led the Tennessee Volunteers to the CFP last season, losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes at Columbus in the first round of the postseason. The signal-caller finished the season with 2.619 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He still has three years of eligibility left.

The QB was set to make $2.4 million this year, but wanted a $4 million deal instead, leading to the disagreement with the program.

Vols HC Josh Heupel shares thoughts on Nico Iamaleava situation

Tennesse football head coach Josh Heupel shared his thoughts on Nico Iamaleava's departure. In an interview with the Vol Network on Saturday, the head coach explained the decision to part ways.

"No one's bigger than the program. That includes me, too. We've got an opportunity. We've got a bunch of guys who are going to give their all for Tennessee," Heupel said.

While the decision leaves the program with a hole in the quarterback spot for the 2025 season, it also gives Heupel time to prepare by turning the page already instead of dragging a negotiation that wasn't close (according to reports).

The Volunteers will open the season against the Syracuse Orange on Aug. 30. The game will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta Georgia.

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

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Edited by Satagni Sikder