Nico Iamaleava and NIL situation

Over the years I always hated that the student athletes who had such hectic schedule were not financially compensated. I used to work as part time student worker and eventually as graduate assistant (not related to football) and used to earn ~750 - 2000 USD per month nNIL Is Progress, But It Needs Structure

As a former part-time student worker and graduate assistant(tutoring athletes), I was always bothered that student-athletes weren’t financially supported, despite their intense schedules. I earned around $750–$2,000 a month for 20 hours of work per week, and even that kept me busy. Athletes, on the other hand, had no time to work and often came from backgrounds that needed financial help—so I was fully on board when NIL came along.

But the recent situation with Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava raises concerns. He reportedly signed a $2.4 million NIL deal, whether he played or not—structured like an NFL contract. Now, he’s allegedly asking for more money because other QBs are making more, regardless of performance.

That kind of renegotiation makes things unstable for programs. NIL was meant to compensate athletes fairly—not turn into a bidding war. Tennessee now may need to adjust their entire strategy for a new QB, and that’s a tough spot to be in.

I still support NIL, but we need better structure—something that protects both players and schools.

What are your thoughts?

P.S: I am giving Tennessee as an example due to recent context --- but even LSU has had this problem with other position players