By Bill Nestor, Sports Editor
In 2022 Nico Imaleava signed a multi-year NIL deal worth over eight million dollars to be quarterback at the University of Tennessee. This upcoming season he was set to make $2.2 million, but the pricetag went up for the services of the super sophomore. Supposedly Nico’s camp, which included his father and a few others, pushed the price tag to four million. Keep in mind, Nico signed his NIL deal when he was a junior in high school.
The biggest decision most juniors are making is if they are getting a second piece of pizza at lunch.
Ironically, in the three years since taking the then-record breaking multi-year contract a dozen signal callers have signed for more cash than he did. The issue is that he didn’t want to honor his contract and that drew a great deal of bad publicity from the media surrounding the program as well as from the head ball coach Josh Heupel.
Heupel thanked Nico for everything that he had done as a recruit to who he was as a player. Heupel went on to say there was “no one bigger than the Power T (referring to the University of Tennessee) and that includes me.” It was a quote that he told his team that he explained to the media. Heupel was trying to put out the fire that the former quarterback had started. All he wants to do is coach his team and not be concerned with player demands, especially those that deal with money.
Since Nico did not get the pay hike we was looking for, he opted to head home to sunny California where he will run the offense for UCLA.
Financially, Nico will take a big loss to return home. First, he will bring in less per year and because neither party (the Bruins nor the quarterback) are talking details, the assumption is that it is between $1 and 1.5 million. The second loss comes from Uncle Donald, I mean Uncle Sam. In Tennessee, there is no state income tax, but in California Nico will pay the highest state income tax possible.
Other quarterbacks battling for time at UCLA are Henry Hasselbeck (son of former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, former University of Washington signal caller Dermaricus Davis, and Madden Imaleava. Madden is Nico’s younger brother and transferred into the program from Arkansas. It is a family reunion in sunny So. Cal. that could lead to a potential quarterback controversy. Who needs “The Young and the Restless” or “General Hospital?” This is a soap opera for sports fans.
The plot thickens as the former penciled in starting quarterback for the bruins this coming fall, Joey Aguilar, has done the switcheroo with Nico. Aguilar started his career at Diablo Valley in 2021. He moved to Appalachian State last year and took a ride in the transfer portal this winter.
It didn’t take long to se the writing on the wall once Nico came to town, so Aguilar went back into the portal and went to – you guessed it – Tennessee. The Volunteers picked up a player that head-to-head threw for more yards and touchdowns and will cost significantly less.
This is what college football has come to.
And fans wonder why Rich Rod did not want to televise his scrimmage. He is just trying to hold on to what he has – for now at least.
That will do it for now! Until next week . . . take care and God Bless!!!
