Tighten your belt! If you have seen the latest Nico Iamaleava spring game opt-out over a NIL disagreement and lost your cool, there’s more to your blowout. Remember when the Buckeyes scored a landslide (42-17) victory against the Vols in the first-round playoff? Well, it could have been even worse if Nico Iamaleava hadn’t been there in the center. If you think the idea is unrealistic, college football analyst Josh Pate has a shocking revelation to share.
The veteran analyst fueled the ongoing Nico Iamaleava frustration, revealing more dreadful intel on his intention. “This past December, cats like Nico Iamaleava almost held out of playoff games. Because they were trying to renegotiate contracts in the middle of a playoff run,” Pate said. “He wasn’t the only one. He wasn’t the only one.” Sick! Absolutely! We are sitting back with a tub of popcorn in our hands, watching the college football NIL equation spiral into a certified hell! This may come as a shock, yet it is a reality.
247Sports’ @JoshPateCFB says Nico Iamaleava & others threatened to opt out of last season’s CFB playoffs unless they were paid more NIL money:
“This stuff was happening last December during the playoffs — with this kid included, but not just this kid. They were trying to get… pic.twitter.com/BixAPogXvU
— College Sports Only (@CollegeSportsO) April 14, 2025
Threatening your school, teammates, and coaches with snubbing a playoff as a starting QB of the team is not only unethical but also an extremely unsporting move. Sensing the destruction, one fan rightfully lamented, “College sports are cooked!” It really is. Players are the epitome of a team. If they only look out for a bigger paycheck, overlooking all the opportunities to grow as an individual and collectively, it’s a direct blow to the backbone of the sports. Fans are not going to let it slide without a huge backlash. They repeatedly called out the system for that. Nico is just an easy scapegoat here. “They have destroyed the sport. It has now become a minor league system to develop players for the NFL,” one sports freak wrote in the comments.
The most disheartening and threatening part of the news is that it’s just the beginning. If NIL continues to become the pivotal part of a player’s commitment, we can’t even think of where we are heading. Another user dropped a correct metaphor, saying, “They opened Pandora’s box.”. Nico Iamaleava racked up a total of 2616 yards, 19 TDs, and 5 interceptions in his sophomore session at Knoxville. But at what cost?
Fans continue to echo the bitter answer: “Unregulated transfer portal with no tampering provisions and NIL money has distorted college sports. The game will suffer, and so too the fans.” The game will undergo a lot of twists and turns going forward, and it’s a no-brainer that it won’t please you as a fan. So, you don’t have any option except getting bulked up to weather the storm by hook or crook. Some are already tapping into the mindset and wrote, “I’m about to take up hunting in the fall. Not the same game anymore.
The post Fans Threaten to Give up on College Sports as Latest Nico Iamaleava Bombshell From Josh Pate Screams Destruction appeared first on EssentiallySports.