As the spring college football transfer portal opens, the situation between Nico Iamaleava and Tennessee parting ways has dominated the news over the past 24 hours.
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal conveyed his feelings on the matter in an interview.
“We’re not going to do that at Miami,” Cristobal said. If anyone is thinking that, they can be the best player in the world. If they wanna play holdout, they might as well get out.”
In 2021, the NCAA finally allowed collegiate athletes to make money off of their name, image and likeness (NIL) and it has since changed college sports forever. The matter between Iamaleava and the Volunteers is another situation that stems from the historic verdict made in July of that year.
Iamaleava was a five-star recruit in the 2023 class and led the Volunteers to the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff in his first season as a full-time starter. In 2024, Iamaleava tossed for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns, and rushed for 358 yards. The highlight of the season was when Iamaleava aided the Volunteers to upset the then-No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide in a prime-time thriller.
Iamaleava, 20, displays fluid mobility, a quick pass release, and solid field vision as he stands at 6-foot-6. The Volunteers had high expectations for their program’s premier player, but money disputes halted any future between the Volunteers and Iamaleava.
It was reported on Saturday that Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel told the team that Iamaleava would not return to the program after having missed practices and meetings.
Iamaleava reportedly wanted more money from the Volunteers, but the university decided to go in a different direction and not give in to Iamaleava’s holdout.
As for Miami, the program snagged former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck from the transfer portal. Beck suffered a UCL injury during last season’s SEC championship game against Texas. It remains to be seen if Beck can return to 100% when the season begins.
One thing is for sure, Iamaleava will not be playing for Cristobal and Miami in the future.
