Back in 2022, Nick Saban dropped a warning most folks just brushed off: “But that creates a situation where you can basically buy players,” he said. That was the early chaos of NIL—the wild west of recruiting—and Saban saw the storm coming. Fast forward to 2025, and we’re knee-deep in that very mess. Right in the center of it? Nico Iamaleava.

Once the poster boy of NIL possibilities, Nico is now the face of everything that’s gone sideways. And it all blew up when he didn’t show up for Tennessee’s spring game. Word got out that Nico wasn’t thrilled with his NIL earnings—pulling in somewhere between $2.2 and $2.5 million—while guys like Carson Beck, Darian Mensah, and Bryce Underwood are reportedly clearing $3 million-plus.

What started as whispers turned into a headline-grabbing saga. According to On3’s Pete Nakos, contract talks between Nico’s camp and Tennessee were heating up. Then Nico’s dad, Nic Iamaleava, came through with a spicy quote that only fanned the flames: “More games are being played off the field than on the field.” And just like that, it was chaos…..

Tennessee let go of their starting QB. Yep—just moved on in 72 hours. And Nic, clearly frustrated, fired off another shot. This time, through the Blue Blood Bias X account, claiming that Nico had offers worth over $4 million elsewhere. “The offers we have received are better than what Nico was getting, by a lot!… Nico has offers over $4,000,000,” Nic said. Oh, and the wildest part? He name-dropped Tulane as one of the schools in the mix. Yes, Tulane. Let that one simmer.

But wait—on April 16, Blue Blood Bias dropped another bombshell, this time flipping the whole $4 million narrative on its head. They quoted Pete Nakos again, this time questioning if Nic was stretching the truth. “Pete’s a great reporter & has been on top of this story the whole time… But his father sounded pretty confident that the offers on the table were over $4M yesterday, so I don’t see how the figures could be so different unless someone’s bold-faced lying. We will see what happens.”

Now here’s the catch—Nakos had already said: “Iamaleava’s reps wanted to see his deal upped to the $4 million range.” And his current deal sits between $2.2 and $2.5 million. Not only that, Nakos added, “If Iamaleava does not secure a deal in the $3 to $4 million range and is open to a deal closer to $1 million, multiple schools are expected to show interest.” This basically implies that the $4M+ talk was more wishlist than reality.

And here’s where things start falling apart.

Nico Iamaleava has zero market?

Despite all this noise, Nico isn’t exactly swimming in interest. His numbers weren’t bad—2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns last season—but in this game, timing is everything. Tennessee cutting ties mid-spring sent up red flags, and now it’s working against him. Notre Dame, USC, and UNC? All reportedly passed. Even Deion Sanders shut the door fast, tweeting: “Not True. & God bless we Good.”

One Power 5 GM told ESPN straight up: “I think he has zero market.” That’s tough. Between the high price tag, potential locker room distractions, and the timing of this exit, the market just dried up. Meanwhile, Vols fans are caught in limbo. Blue Blood Bias threw in a little reality check: “Regardless, nobody should take joy in this situation; a kid got pushed out of his role & Tennessee will be worse next year as a result.” And honestly? That part’s fair.

The Vols are scrambling now. Their high-tempo offense needs a QB who can sling it and adapt fast, but the portal’s already been picked clean. One source summed it up as “a terrible time,” noting how tough it’ll be for a new QB to walk in this late and learn the playbook.

And then comes the ultimate reality check—Paul Finebaum wasn’t buying the hype either. He made it clear on air: “What’s interesting is, he’s not that great. I talked to various sources around the SEC yesterday, and I said, ‘tell me where he ranks out of the 16 quarterbacks in the SEC’, and they said, ‘somewhere between six and eight’. Tennessee saw the same thing, and that’s why he’s no longer on the Tennessee roster this morning.” Brutal, but honest.

So now Nico Iamaleava, once NIL’s golden boy, is looking for a new home. He went from a record-setting $8 million high school deal to possibly needing to settle for under $1 million. Even worse, SEC rules block him from transferring within the conference this spring, which cuts out a chunk of the market. Time is ticking, and options are thin.

As of now, his camp—led by his dad and advisor Cordell Landers—are shopping around, but interest is lukewarm at best. The money might’ve been flashy, but now it’s looking like a burden. He’s got no guaranteed starting spot, no easy landing, and no clear timeline to turn this around. For Tennessee, the sudden QB exit leaves a void they’re not prepared to fill. For Nico, it’s a crash course in how fast the NIL tide can turn. And for everyone else watching, this might just be the most dramatic NIL cautionary tale yet.