“Nakos from On3 Sports called and asked me directly, I told him I had no idea on what he’s talking about.” It is kind of funny how the entire SEC crowd went from hating on Milroe and calling him “washed up” to running with pitchforks behind Nico Iamaleava. See, Rocky Top didn’t waste millions on Nico without proper cause. In the last 25 years, this has to be one of the highest-rated quarterback signings the Vols have seen. Plus, add the dual-threat ability, and you get a 2-in-1 McDonald’s combo. However, when Nico took the rep sheet and translated it over to the gridiron, do you think people applauded him or trolled him? 70ish QBR with around 2.6k yards—not the best of the bunch, but definitely not the worst.

However, does it justify a $2.2-2.4 million price tag? Even better, does it justify a raise?

Two massive Nico updates dropped—and let’s just say, the fuse is lit, the coffee is boiling, and the internet’s about to blow a gasket. Albeit not on Nico—but his father. Just an hour ago, On3 shared that, “Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava was not at practice this morning, per Volquest’s @AustinPriceless.” This instantly set off the entire fan base in 2 different directions. Why? Well, around 23 hours before, On3 had reported that “Tennessee & Nico Iamaleava are in active contract negotiations ahead of the 2025 season, @PeteNakos_ reports.”

This initial update dropped by On3 brought flak on Nico and his family. It was so bad that Nico’s father had to admit to telling Pete Nakos that he “had no idea on what he’s talking about.” Now, on one end, you have fans defending Nico and his father, and on the other end, you have people calling out their credibility.

But honestly? Who wouldn’t? Let’s look at Nico’s 2024 conquest, shall we? The moment there is any form of pressure around this guy, he folds like a pancake. Nico didn’t magically get awarded the 3rd highest sack to pressure rate.

That ain’t all. Even his overall presence on the gridiron is barely felt. Take the Alabama game. Yes, the Vols won and delivered, but Nico? 3 sacks with 1 interception and just a single touchdown. The Ohio State game perfectly illustrates why he is a problem. Imagine having a HUNDRED yard. Yes, a measly 104 yards in a playoff game.

After ALL OF THIS, you want “alleged” contract negotiations and won’t play in practice? No wonder fans are having the time of their lives firing shots at you.

Liar, liar, pants on fire?

“But his dad said it’s fake news?” one fan pointed out, and another fan also backed it up by mentioning that, “But his dad said the nil rumors weren’t true!” Now, this whole thing is a “he said, she said” situation. In the initial report regarding the contract, Pete Nakos had mentioned that his “close source’ pointed out that “Tennessee and Nico Iamaleava are in active contract negotiations.” The same statement was later confirmed by Nico’s father during his call with Nakos.

“He said his ‘close source’ that he trusts with his life from the University of Tennessee staff gave him this information. So y’all can ask them what’s going on, cuz it ain’t from us!” Nico’s father had mentioned. Now, who is telling the truth? God knows.

One fan fired a direct shot at Nico’s dad. “His dad was just crying on here,” the fan shared. We don’t know about crying, but maybe he was just defending his son? At the end of the day, although Nakos is a trusted source, everything should still be taken with a grain of salt.

Finally, one last fan pointed the gun towards Nico and fired a shot. “Holding out of spring ball when you are average as hell is despicable. NIL ruined the sport,” they wrote. Well, for Tenn fans, Nico is their savior, but for the rest of CFB? He is just another quarterback who is way over his head.

Could all of this result in a disaster for the Vols? What do you think?