College football has its first holdout.
Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee’s starting quarterback, didn’t show up to practice on Friday, and even though people around the situation keep insisting everything’s “fine,” it’s pretty clear it’s not.
The backdrop to all this is what you’d expect: NIL money and negotiations. Iamaleava’s camp believes he should be compensated at a certain level, and now it looks like they’re willing to make things uncomfortable to get what they want, and it seems that Tennessee "isn't budging," at least not yet.
And rival fans are loving this. Georgia, Alabama, and other SEC fanbases are online, cracking jokes and calling Tennessee a mess. This is the same fan base that was flying high after making the College Football Playoff. Now they’re the punchline.
But here’s where it gets interesting: those same fans who are laughing today might be crying next.
If your program is throwing money around to land top recruits or keep stars out of the portal, don’t act surprised when they decide to treat it like a business. That’s what this is now. Today, it’s about market value, leverage, and timing.
This isn’t just a Tennessee problem—it’s an every-program problem. If your roster is built around NIL deals, guess what? You’re just one uncomfortable negotiation away from being in the same spot. One missed practice, one surprise Instagram post, one whisper from a “family friend” to a reporter, and boom—you’re trending for all the wrong reasons.
And look, I’m not blaming the players. I've got no problem with them being paid. But let’s not pretend this system isn’t creating chaos and, ultimately, hurting the sport long-term. There’s no structure. No cap. No real guidance. It’s basically the Wild West with booster money. Everyone’s winging it, and it’s only a matter of time before more star players start doing exactly what Nico’s doing.
So yeah, he might be the first holdout of this new era, but unless college football finds a way to bring some order to this madness, he won’t be the last.
And if you’re one of those rival fans laughing today? Just make sure your star QB doesn’t pull the same move tomorrow.