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Flat 4
Joined: 1/13/14 Posts: 4,022
Why Nico soured on Tenn - ESPN article
Posted Wed, Apr 23 9:36 am
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/44787682/why-nico-iamaleava-left-tennessee-joined-ucla
cd
Joined: 12/28/06 Posts: 2,206
I think this is the first of several long form pieces..
Posted Wed, Apr 23 9:58 am (Edited Wed, Apr 23 10:00 am)
In response to Why Nico soured on Tenn - ESPN article (Flat 4)
Nico comes across as a little naive.

His people shopped his services to other schools, including Oregon.

Oregon tipped off Tennessee.

Neither side denies this.

Then Nico tells teammates he’s headed to the portal.

And he didn’t understand that this would leak, with the boosters and local press portraying him as a sell out?
OswegoBruin
Joined: 11/11/10 Posts: 17,107
This article, if it's to be believed, puts to lie many
Posted Wed, Apr 23 10:02 am (Edited Wed, Apr 23 10:06 am)
In response to I think this is the first of several long form pieces.. (cd)
things people were saying about Nico:

-He didn't hold out of Spring practice. He literally held out of the Spring game. That's it.

-He held out of two workouts because he says wasn't getting NIL payments. His collective says he was getting paid. We'll never know, but the fact that he participated in all other workouts suggests Nico's telling the truth.

-If he wanted to leave for money, he pretty clearly could have gone to other schools.

-This is not unusual, and is happening elsewhere with other players, but only Nico has been placed in the spotlight because he's a top recruit. Pretty telling.
MarkLA
Joined: 12/06/11 Posts: 2,862
Most reassuring part for me
Posted Wed, Apr 23 10:18 am
In response to This article, if it's to be believed, puts to lie many (OswegoBruin)
"He was never a troublemaker," a Tennessee source said, "worked hard and didn't cause problems in the locker room. He was quiet and kept to himself a lot, sort of had that California cool to him, but it's unfair to paint him as a bad kid."
Student Baller
Joined: 7/14/14 Posts: 6,578
If people really cared about
Posted Wed, Apr 23 10:48 am
In response to This article, if it's to be believed, puts to lie many (OswegoBruin)
Players leaving during spring practice without doing anything to earn their NIL money you’d see Joey A getting rolled too. They don’t. It’s all just SEC sour grapes.
OswegoBruin
Joined: 11/11/10 Posts: 17,107
That's a bingo*
Posted Wed, Apr 23 10:49 am
In response to If people really cared about (Student Baller)
nm
cd
Joined: 12/28/06 Posts: 2,206
Oswego, he did try to leave for money…
Posted Wed, Apr 23 11:17 am (Edited Wed, Apr 23 11:17 am)
In response to This article, if it's to be believed, puts to lie many (OswegoBruin)
… that was the whole point of shopping himself to Oregon, and other schools.

The reason they didn’t say yes is that they didn’t think he was worth the money.

Tennessee was in the playoffs, but he really didn’t have a great year last year. Both can be true at the same time.

By the way, I don’t think Beck is worth $4mm either - but that doesn’t mean someone else is obligated to pay that to Iamaleava.

The Iamaleava’s don’t dispute that the Beck deal was the impetus to shopping Nico around.
Student Baller
Joined: 7/14/14 Posts: 6,578
Who cares?
Posted Wed, Apr 23 11:40 am
In response to Oswego, he did try to leave for money… (cd)
Every player in CFB shops around now. Every single one.
BRUINS 1
Joined: 1/28/05 Posts: 19,782
That’s inaccurate
Posted Wed, Apr 23 1:15 pm (Edited Wed, Apr 23 1:17 pm)
In response to Who cares? (Student Baller)
There are plenty who absolutely do not shop themselves. I would say that many players entering college certainly ask “how much?”, but that’s different from shopping yourself once there. Of course, it happens, but definitely not every player.
Bruinlifer08
Joined: 4/03/21 Posts: 234
The insanity is mind boggling
Posted Wed, Apr 23 1:22 pm
In response to That’s inaccurate (BRUINS 1)
Players are literally free agents every single year. No checks whatsoever (yet). Can you imagine if the actual pros were run like this? Just madness
yogibear
Joined: 1/25/13 Posts: 1,765
Mind boggling is
Posted Wed, Apr 23 2:28 pm
In response to The insanity is mind boggling (Bruinlifer08)
Oregon taking high moral grounds reporting back to Tennessee that Nico party made a contract( if it's true). That seems hypocritical injected with steroids. Every high profile players with agents will shop around. Every CFB program with deep pockets will most likely approach other program players that they know they can poach. It goes both ways. As for calling this insanity and mind boggling...did you just wake up from a coma? In case you haven't noticed, our whole world is in a sh*t hole because of greed for money.
Bruinlifer08
Joined: 4/03/21 Posts: 234
Hah
Posted Wed, Apr 23 2:50 pm
In response to Mind boggling is (yogibear)
Good one. No, I didn’t just wake from a coma, did you? Not sure what the whole world “being in a shithole because of greed for money” has anything to do with a discussion about college football. “Greed for money” has essentially run the world since the dawn of time. NIL has gotten so out of control like a runaway freight train in a relatively small amount of time, to the point where the aesthetics of the game suck ### now. But we’re stuck watching this mercenary brand of football now. What’s the point?
yogibear
Joined: 1/25/13 Posts: 1,765
Apology. Just thought to join in
Posted Wed, Apr 23 8:37 pm
In response to Hah (Bruinlifer08)
on rant about how money has screwed everything in this world. Minute someone profited from student's talent, they were entitled to their share. As for student jumping constantly, you could always propose taking away freedom of transferring from one school to another which I'm certain where that's going to end up. But you're not stuck watching. You have the freedom to look away. If you all do that money will leave the sports!!! I for one, along with many others, will continue to watch it just fine. No complaints from me.
Rabid Bruin
Joined: 9/26/23 Posts: 2,239
Do you want the truth?
Posted Wed, Apr 23 10:11 pm (Edited Wed, Apr 23 10:16 pm)
In response to Apology. Just thought to join in (yogibear)
It’s not a problem. It’s just a chance for some to get on their soap box, which is fun. Boring.

I’ll also keep watching and so will everyone else in this thread.

Ratings for the CFB Championship were extremely good.
cd
Joined: 12/28/06 Posts: 2,206
If Oregon (or another high dollar program) thought Nico
Posted Thu, Apr 24 6:50 am
In response to Mind boggling is (yogibear)
… was worth the money, they would have done the deal.

The just didn’t think a QB whole lot of only had one 200 yd game in conference last year was worth $4mm.
Crispy
Joined: 1/13/14 Posts: 6,899
Keeper leagues have been outlawed*
Posted Wed, Apr 23 3:00 pm
In response to The insanity is mind boggling (Bruinlifer08)
Nm
Student Baller
Joined: 7/14/14 Posts: 6,578
What makes you think there
Posted Wed, Apr 23 6:55 pm
In response to That’s inaccurate (BRUINS 1)
Are ”many” who don’t shop themselves? We lost like 30 players s since last season and that’s light compared to many. And those are just the ones who did it officially.

In fact, any player not feeling the market out every year is making a financial mistake.
cd
Joined: 12/28/06 Posts: 2,206
Stu, I understand the current marketplace…
Posted Wed, Apr 23 2:01 pm
In response to Who cares? (Student Baller)
… Nico wanted to take advantage of the same dynamic that Beck did.

I get that.

But carrying the shopping into spring after having been told by several suitors that they didn’t see the value of his proposition - and then telling several team mates that he was entering the portal - was not smart.

The timing also creates risk on both sides.

My understanding is that it is too late for the Iamaleava’s to enroll for spring quarter, which means they can’t participate in practice till summer.

That’s not a lot of time to learn a new system, new language, new progressions, new check downs, and so forth. That’s doubly important because his strength is when the play breaks down. But his weakness - the area where he needs the most work - is the play to play of managing an offense, and down and distance.

That is the risk for Iamaleava’s. The risk for UCLA is that they don’t have to enroll until fall, and that is not official until the first day of class 3+ weeks into the season.

Would the Iamaleava’s try to leverage that? I mean, that seems to fit their MO, and I also sense that they are feeling a little wounded on the $ - they really seem to want to show the world that Nico got a better deal than what he had at Tennessee.
Flat 4
Joined: 1/13/14 Posts: 4,022
There are only two transfer windows
Posted Wed, Apr 23 2:09 pm
In response to Stu, I understand the current marketplace… (cd)
There is no holding out in the Fall for threat of transfer as the window doesn’t open up again until December.

Nico is a Bruin for Fall of 2025 and we will get an extremely talented player with a huge chip on his shoulder. Watch out and enjoy.

What happens after that, who knows, and really who cares? It’s year to year now. Buckle up and enjoy.
cd
Joined: 12/28/06 Posts: 2,206
He can still leverage by not enrolling or showing …
Posted Wed, Apr 23 2:29 pm
In response to There are only two transfer windows (Flat 4)
… up for class.

I don’t get the feeling the Iamaleava’s think Nico will need all five years, so I don’t think they are worried about him loosing a year (even tho he has already had a redshirt)

I think it would be a mistake, but I could see him holding out to try and get something better. I mean, the way they did the holdout at Tennessee didn’t make any sense either.
Student Baller
Joined: 7/14/14 Posts: 6,578
The “holdout” has been exaggerated
Posted Wed, Apr 23 3:34 pm
In response to He can still leverage by not enrolling or showing … (cd)
And yes, there’s always a chance he holds out again, but it’s unlikely he’ll miss a season.

But again, why is nobody slamming Joey A? He left UCLA in the middle of spring practice. Didn’t even play a down as a Bruin. Walked on NIL obligations. Yet strangely, everyone seems ok with his move to Tennessee. Why? Because he wasn’t going to start? Is that the real beef here? A starter on a SEC team leaving is somehow more sinister than a backup on a BIG team?