Could Tennessee actually bring back Nico Iamaleava in shocking move?

The idea that Tennessee could bring back Nico Iamaleava after everything that’s happened feels like something out of a football soap opera. But here we are—because in the world of college football today, anything feels possible.

Iamaleava, once hailed as the face of Tennessee football, left the program after reportedly asking for a massive NIL raise to $4 million. When that didn’t happen, he no-showed practice and then subsequently hit the transfer portal. At the time, several reports shared that he'd have quite a few schools lining up to bid on his services. But now, not even a week later, the list of suitors is starting to shrink.

North Carolina? Out. Tulane? Pulling back. Even programs that might’ve needed a quarterback are staying quiet, reportedly unwilling to meet his sky-high price tag.

According to a new report from On3, schools are starting to walk away not because of the talent, but because of the baggage—and the cost. $4 million was the number floating around when Nico entered the portal, but the report now suggests schools would only be interested if that number dropped to around $1 million. That’s a steep fall, and a sign that the market isn’t exactly what Nico and his camp expected.

And then came an interesting curveball. On3 founder Shannon Terry took to social media and floated a scenario that nobody really saw coming: what if Nico actually went back to Tennessee?

In this “what if” version of reality, Tennessee would keep the original NIL deal (no raise), and build in win-based incentives. Heupel would set the terms. Nico and his father would have to own the situation—publicly. The father, who has taken heat online for being involved in the business side of things, would need to apologize to media members (like On3’s Pete Nakos) and take a back seat.

Nico, for his part, would have to be completely apologetic—to the coaches, the locker room, and yes, the fanbase.

Could that actually work?

Nico Iamaleava has lost the trust of Tennessee football

This is where things get tricky. Because let’s be real: the damage might already be done. The locker room reportedly wasn’t thrilled with how everything unfolded, and several Tennessee fans have made it loud and clear they want nothing to do with a potential reunion. We've seen jerseys burned and thousands of social media comments indicating that they are done with Iamaleava.

The biggest question isn’t whether Heupel would lay down rules—it’s whether the players in that locker room would ever buy in again. Could they trust a quarterback who left them behind over money? And would the fanbase, who flooded social media with frustration, be willing to rally behind him?

This kind of story might’ve seemed impossible five years ago. But with NIL in full swing and the transfer portal wide open, the lines between business and football are blurrier than ever. We’ve seen strange reunions before in college sports. We’ve seen players bounce back after ugly breakups. So is it really that crazy to think that Tennessee — the school that essentially broke recruiting rules to begin with for Iamaleava — might at least consider it?

Shannon Terry didn’t say it was happening—he just asked the question. And that question alone has people talking. In my opinion, he seems too far gone. Iamaleava doesn't have the trust of Tennessee anymore and it's not like this was the first time that he threatened to sit out over his NIL contract.

In today's version of college football, you never know, but we'd be shocked — like, absolutely stunned — to see this happen.

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