Tennessee Star QB Looking for Substantial NIL Increase for 2025 Season

The Tennessee Volunteers are currently in reported negotiations with their star quarterback over NIL compensation.

Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) throws during the second half of the College Football Playoff first round game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Dec. 22, 2024. Ohio State won 42-17. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Over the past several years, NIL has completely changed how big-time college athletes approach their relationships with their respective teams.

The Tennessee Volunteers have become the latest example of a team having to engage in this new era of college athletics, as On3 senior analyst Pete Nakos reported on Thursday that star quarterback Nico Iamaleava is seeking a substantial NIL pay bump in 2025.

Current estimates of the deal Iamaleava has in place currently are somewhere between $2.2 and $2.5 million, and that he is looking for something in the neighborhood of $4 million in 2025.

This initial reporting caused some pretty intense debate on social media, with Iamaleava's family even jumping in to state that the reports were false and that they were happy with the current deal that was in place.

Despite these rebukes of Nakos' initial story though, it has become evident that Iamaleava is searching for a new deal. Senior ESPN reporter Pete Thamel confirmed the report on Friday, and also reported that he missed a the team's final practice ahead of their annual spring game on Saturday.

With reports of ongoing negotiations all but confirmed, many have begun to speculate whether or not Tennessee would give in to the demands of their star quarterback. ESPN's Chris Low has confirmed that Iamaleava and his team approached the Volunteers shortly before the winter transfer portal opened seeking a new deal.

According to Low, the Volunteers "didn't blink" after the initial demand, presumably meaning that they weren't willing to give the then-first-year starter that kind of pay bump.

Now with the spring transfer portal window about to open, it appears that the calculus has changed a bit for the team, and the team is willing to at least come to the table this time around.

Speculation has already begun to run rampant about whether or not the former five-star recruit would be willing to enter his name into the portal if he is unable to get the new NIL deal he is looking for, but nothing has surfaced so far to indicate that might come to pass.

Still, this whole saga unfolding right before the team's spring game is certainly less than ideal for a Tennessee program looking to potentially compete for an SEC championship in 2025 while getting back to the College Football Playoff for a second straight year.

It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds in the coming days, and what Iamaleava decides to do if the two sides are ultimately unable to come to an agreement.

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