April 15, 2025 • 32 mins
A week ago, Nico Iamaleava was the returning quarterback on a Tennessee team coming off a playoff spot. Now he's the poster child for everything that's wrong with college football. That's unfair, but at the moment, through a series of major miscalculations, he's in search of a new school, and Chicken Littles everywhere see the sport's sky falling. We separate the truth from the hysteria with longtime UT insider Jimmy Hyams.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:03):
so What in the world is happening to college
(00:43):
football?
Alabama has a spring game thatattracts about 15,000 people to
Bryant-Denny Stadium.
It wasn't really even a game.
It was a glorified practice.
And by the way, if you wanted toget on the field to have your
favorite player or coach signsomething, you had to contribute
(01:04):
to Alabama's collective, YayAlabama.
At Colorado, where CordellStewart does not have his jersey
retired, come Saturday, ShadorSanders will.
It helps to have your dad as thehead coach.
And meanwhile, a 20-year-oldquarterback, formerly of the
(01:25):
Tennessee Volunteers, hassuddenly become public enemy
number one in the entire sport.
You talk about what's happeningtoday on tax day.
No one is paying the piper overthe last few days, quite like
Nico Iamaliava from formerly ofthe Tennessee Volunteers.
Now, when I want to know what'sreally happening in Knoxville
(01:49):
surrounding the Tennesseeprogram, when I want to separate
the hysteria from the truth, Ieither read or listen to or
watch my guest today, longtimeSEC columnist, reporter,
broadcaster, his Twitter biosays he's retired, but he still
seems to be working to me.
(02:10):
Jimmy Hyams is our guest today.
Jimmy, how are you doing?
Kevin?
I'm doing great.
I hope you are as well.
I am.
Thank you so much for joining meto try to bring some sense and
some sanity to what really hasbecome an insane situation.
So let's, let's start at thebeginning here.
Before we get into the heart ofthe matter, tell us about Nico.
(02:31):
as a person because it's almostas if nico the person has gotten
lost here he's become a symbolhe's become a rallying cry uh
he's become a as i said publicenemy number one in some
people's eyes totally unfair inmy mind what is nico like as a
person from what you've gottento know in the short time
relatively speaking he's been inknoxville
SPEAKER_01 (02:54):
a good kid a polite kid he came in with the five
stars rating he came in making alot of money but he did not um
Showed that with his teammates.
He was very humble.
He tried to be a sponge.
He wanted to learn.
He didn't walk in like, hey, I'mthe dude.
Everybody get out of my way.
Wasn't like that at all.
(03:15):
And so I heard nothing butcompliments from his teammates,
from the players around him,from the coaches.
I think he's a good kid.
And I think he's gotten somehorrible advice, but I think
he's a good kid who histeammates really liked a lot.
Until now.
SPEAKER_00 (03:33):
Until recent events might have changed some minds.
And we should remind people, heis 20 years old.
He'll turn 21 on September 2nd,three days after the Vols open
against Syracuse.
Now, Jimmy, let's talk aboutNico the player.
Obviously, he was the starterlast year as a redshirt
freshman, or I guess he was asophomore.
(03:53):
He played in the bowl game theyear before Syracuse.
He was a part of a Tennesseeteam that went to the playoff
for the first time since theywon that national championship
the first year of the BCS.
Let's look at some of hisnumbers.
We've got a graphic to pop uphere, Brendan, if you will.
Look at his rankings, hisnumbers and his rankings in a
(04:14):
number of categories within theSEC.
Jimmy, tell us just yourevaluation of him as a player
last year.
SPEAKER_01 (04:23):
He was an above-average quarterback.
There was a whole bunch of, Icall it malarkey out there, that
he was a Heisman Trophycandidate in Vegas.
They had him as one of the topfive in the country in the
Heisman Trophy.
I thought, oh, that was a bunchof bull.
He had never proven it.
And he did play pretty well inthe bowl game that he started.
You mentioned he had one startthere.
That was against Iowa.
(04:44):
But I didn't see him being thegreat player.
I saw a lot of talent.
But if you look at thosenumbers, so he was 10th in the
SEC in passing yards per game.
Kevin, they had the six bestopponents Tennessee played last
year.
They were three and three.
He completed 57.5% of hispasses, and he had five
(05:05):
touchdowns and threeinterceptions.
Those are against the best teamsthat he played.
Those are very pedestriannumbers.
Now, do I still think he's got achance to be a really good
quarterback?
I do, but he hadn't proven ityet.
And to come in and say, okay, Iwant to jump from 2.4, 2.7
million to 4 million a year,That's laughable.
(05:26):
Laughable.
And then when he no-showed atpractice, Josh Hypo really got
ticked off at him.
Hypo's a pretty affable guy.
He doesn't get upset about much,but that really, it ticked him
off.
One, that Nico didn't show, andsecondly, cut off all
communication.
And I was told on Friday, thatparticular Friday, that he was
done.
He would never wear anotherTennessee uniform, and that
(05:49):
proved to be true.
SPEAKER_00 (05:50):
Well, let's transition.
And I'm with you.
Again, you look at those numberswhere he ranked among SEC
quarterbacks last year, eighthin total passing yards, seventh
in passing touchdowns, seventhin interceptions.
That's the definition ofmediocrity or mid, as the kids
say nowadays.
Not that he didn't have upside,and he was a first-year starter.
(06:13):
We have to take that intoaccount.
But the idea that you would,after putting together that kind
of season– think that you weredo a 67% raise or whatever the
number was that they were askingfor, I think is what has turned
so many people off.
Walk us through, if you will,because we've seen so many
stories.
We've heard so many rumors aboutwhat actually went down last
(06:38):
Thursday.
Supposedly, he's at aquarterback meeting in the
evening at the offensivecoordinator's house.
Everything is lovely.
It's seashells and balloons.
Then the story breaks.
The dad criticizes Pete Nacosfrom on three, calls him a
rather unflattering term.
And the next thing you know, hedoesn't show up at practice, as
you said, Friday.
(06:58):
Just walk us through the processas best you are aware
SPEAKER_01 (07:01):
of.
I'll take you back to December.
There were rumblings in Decemberthat E.M.
Aliavo and his dad, now his dadis the driving force.
Let's make no mistake aboutthat.
His dad is calling the shots.
There's no question.
So back then when they sawCarson Beck getting$4 million to
go to Miami, when they saw aquarterback from Tulane going to
(07:21):
Duke for about$4 million, thosehave not been substantiated to
my knowledge, but it's beenreported it's around$4 million.
The dad said, hey, then we wantthat.
Well, they didn't resolve it inDecember.
And one of the other thingsallegedly that the dad asked for
is he wanted a better supportingcast.
He needs another receiver ortwo.
He needs another offensivelineman or two to help him.
(07:44):
And quite frankly, Tennessee'sreceiving core wasn't that good
last year.
So that is part of the equation,I think.
But I guarantee you this, ifTennessee had said, Nico, we
give you$4 million, but you'renot getting another receiver,
he'd still be at Tennessee.
So this is all about the money.
All right, so you're exactlyright about Thursday.
They had the quarterbackmeeting.
(08:04):
He was there.
They were still– now, whathappened from December until
recently, I've heard people sayongoing negotiations.
I think there was a ceasefire.
There wasn't a whole lot ofconversation going on for a long
time.
And so then as the portalapproaches, then the dad gets
involved and says, okay, we want$4 million from Tennessee.
(08:27):
And Tennessee's like, whoa, waita minute.
And I think basically Tennesseesaid the kid isn't good enough
to pay him$4 million.
Not only that, you're going tomess up the structure of what
we're trying to pay otherplayers.
And how about this novel idea?
Why don't you honor yourcontract?
I know it's not binding.
But remember, Tennessee, hesigned a four-year contract with
(08:48):
Tennessee.
Tennessee paid him, I'm not 100%sure of this, but close to a
million dollars his senior yearof high school when he did
nothing for Tennessee.
So then he goes to Tennessee thefirst year.
He makes around$2 million.
He actually did redshirt.
He played few enough games to beable to redshirt.
And then last year, he had amediocre year, and he got paid
(09:12):
about$2.4 million.
And then he wants a bump fromthat to about 4 million.
It's like, are you kidding me?
So I think Tennessee, and thisis the guy that's supposed to be
the leader of your team.
And all this was from his dad'sperspective is a money grab.
That's all it is.
We're going to shop it.
And by the way, the dad hadactually called Oregon the week
(09:34):
before, shopping him aroundsaying, hey, how much would you
pay for my son to go to Oregon?
SPEAKER_00 (09:40):
I want to ask you about that because that story
has been circulating thatperhaps it may have been Oregon
coach Dan Lanning or someoneclose to him who blew the
whistle on that reach out andlet Tennessee know, hey, by the
way, your starting quarterbackor someone representing your
starting quarterback, namely hisfather, I would suppose, is
(10:04):
reaching out and shopping him toother schools.
Is there truth to that as far asyou know?
i
SPEAKER_01 (10:10):
do not know i don't know what that occurred i do
know that dan lanning was askedafter the spring game about it
and he said no comment
SPEAKER_00 (10:20):
that's a comment of its own right
SPEAKER_01 (10:22):
yeah so but i i don't know i can't say for sure
if what you just mentionedoccurred so i don't know
SPEAKER_00 (10:30):
now perhaps the most damaging as if what you've
already described isn't damagingenough to Nico, his father, the
family, the player's reputation,and perhaps his future.
Even worse than all of that,Josh Pate from CBS Sports Online
(10:53):
has come out and said in nouncertain terms that Nico, going
into the playoff last year,asked Tennessee for more money
because His alleged contractdidn't cover the postseason.
It only covered the regularseason, 12 games, and perhaps if
they would have made the SECchampionship game.
(11:15):
That is beyond outrageous if itis true.
Josh Pate didn't cite sources.
I don't know about hiscredibility on that or anything
else, to be honest.
But that is a really damagingallegation to throw out there.
Do you have any knowledgewhatsoever about that?
SPEAKER_01 (11:32):
No, I don't.
I just know that it was inDecember that they started
pursuing a contract because theysaw what Carson Beck was getting
in Miami and what Mensah wasgetting at Duke.
So I am aware of that.
I don't know if they asked formore money just to play.
I will say this, and I amsemi-retired.
(11:54):
I'm trying not to do a whole lothere, so I don't dig like I used
to.
Right.
In regard to this situation withNico, I have been talking with a
number of people who believethat it's going to be a
situation where a player's goingto say, if you want me to play
in the playoff game, I want anextra$100,000.
It's going to come to that.
(12:15):
It shouldn't, but I think itwill come to that with some
players.
I can't say that Nico did that.
To be honest with you, knowingthe way his dad works, I
wouldn't be surprised, but I donot know that for a fact.
SPEAKER_00 (12:29):
You've always had your finger on the pulse of Vol
Nation, their feelings aboutwhatever is happening in
Knoxville.
And I think, as you mentionedearlier, Josh Heupel has been
almost universally applauded forthe way that he handled this.
He may have been angry inprivate.
He kept it private when he spokeat the spring game or after the
(12:52):
spring game.
He was complimentary of Nico.
He wished him well.
appreciated his contributions tothe program.
He didn't go negative as hecertainly could have.
SPEAKER_01 (13:01):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (13:02):
Has that been the general reaction of the fan
base?
Good riddance.
You don't care enough aboutrunning through the power T.
And if you don't, we don't wantyou here.
SPEAKER_01 (13:14):
Yes, that is it.
Good riddance.
You're out of here.
They support what Josh Seipeldid.
And by the way, I heard a numberof people in the media at that
press conference, which I didattend, say they thought that
was the best press conferenceJosh Heupel's ever had, the way
he handled that situation.
And I think it would rank amongthe best that he's had.
But he took the high road onthat situation.
(13:37):
He did, of course, point outthat Tennessee is bigger than
Nico or any player or himself,being Heupel.
So, yeah, I thought he handledit very well.
But that is– I mean, Nico– Hewent from being very popular to
being public enemy number oneamong the Vol Nation.
(13:57):
I think they probably dislikehim more than they ever disliked
Steve Spurrier.
Whoa, that's a huge statement.
That's saying a lot back whenSpurrier was beating and gigging
Tennessee.
Yes, on a regular basis.
Who will ever forget you can'tspell citrus without UT?
yes yeah among others but umyeah so uh he he's really burned
(14:22):
that bridge here's anotherthought about that kevin so
let's say he's gonna go to ithink he's going west coast i
may be wrong uh i heard northcarolina i don't know if that's
gonna happen texas tech let'sjust say he goes texas tech he's
not gonna get four million idon't think i don't think
anybody's gonna pay him thatmuch because he's not worth it
(14:43):
but what if he goes to texastech for three million Let's say
he throws 10 touchdown passesthe first three games.
And he says, hey, I want amillion more.
I'm not playing.
He might
SPEAKER_00 (14:53):
do that.
What's to stop him?
SPEAKER_01 (14:55):
Yes.
And if I'm that school, I'mleery of that.
I'm not touching a guy thatwould do something like that.
So I'll be curious to see wherehe lands.
I do think the dad certainlyoverplayed his hand by asking
for$4 million.
Way overplayed it.
And I think Tennessee did theright thing by not– Caving in.
SPEAKER_00 (15:17):
So his dad is driving the bus, as you said.
So does he not have a formalagent from outside the family to
help advise them on these kindof decisions, these
career-making or potentiallybreaking situations?
SPEAKER_01 (15:33):
My understanding is he does not have a formal agent,
but he does have an advisor.
And I don't know if the dad andthe advisor are on the same
page.
I don't know that.
I will tell you another thingthat surfaced around here, and I
don't know how true this is, andthis would lean into maybe
(15:54):
siding slightly with the E.M.
Aliala plan, and that is therehad been some that have
suggested that Tennessee'scollective Spire Sports had been
indicating to Nico and hisfamily, we're going to get you
more money.
We're going to get it there.
You just stick with us and we'llget more money.
(16:15):
And that maybe Tennessee was noton the same page with that and
didn't know that was going on.
SPEAKER_00 (16:23):
Okay.
That's a great point that youbring up.
And that's part of the reasonthat we have the chaos that we
have.
When you factor in the transferportal, the NIL money, none of
which by themselves arenecessarily bad things.
I don't think any of usbegrudges these guys getting a
cut of the pie because And Idon't want to speak for you, but
(16:45):
certainly my feeling is we knowhow much money is flowing into
college football.
We know what coaches are making,athletic directors,
commissioners, et cetera, etcetera, et cetera.
So the guys who are puttingtheir bodies on the line
certainly have earned a cut ofthe pie.
It's the fact that there are noreal guardrails, no real rules
here.
(17:06):
It is get what you can get whenyou can get it.
And that's, I think what upsetspeople more than anything.
And I've got to ask you this.
And I, I think I know youranswer based on what you said so
far.
What if, and it is interestingto watch and everybody's on the
Nico watch now, what's he goingto do?
(17:26):
Where's he going to go?
What's he going to get paid?
Is he going to get a decentoffer?
North Carolina apparently hasturned in a different direction.
Some reports came out of thestate of Alabama where, late
last night, that Gio Lopez, thequarterback at South Alabama, is
now the target for NorthCarolina, and he's most likely
going to end up there when theportal, of course, the portal
(17:48):
opens up on Wednesday.
So maybe that's another schooloff the list for Nico.
What if, and maybe I'm trying tolook for a silver lining here if
that's even possible.
What would happen if NicoIamaliava said to his father,
(18:09):
Dad, you screwed up.
We made a huge mistake.
I didn't want to leaveTennessee.
I liked it at Tennessee.
I had a great opportunity atTennessee.
I'm playing for one of the bestoffensive minds in the country
in Josh Heupel.
We went to the playoff.
I like my teammates.
I'm going to go to Josh Heupel,and I'm going to apologize, and
(18:32):
I'm going to say, Coach, Iscrewed up.
My dad screwed up.
I am sorry.
horribly, terribly sorry that weput you and the program through
this.
I would like to come back.
I would like to come back andearn my spot back.
I don't want to play anywhereelse.
I want to play at Tennessee.
(18:52):
What would their reaction be?
A, from Josh Heupel, B, from theuniversity, C, from the fan
base?
SPEAKER_01 (18:59):
That's a great question.
I don't know the answer to it.
I know that that Hypo was reallyticked off that Nico was a
no-show at Friday practice andcut off all communication.
Okay.
He didn't have to cut off allcommunication unless I'm sure
his dad told him to.
I would say that if he came backto Tennessee to Hypo, to the
(19:22):
teammates, to the fan base andapologized, I don't think
Tennessee would take him back.
And I don't think they wouldbecause that's the kid saying
it, but we don't trust the dad.
The dad's a problem, and I thinkthat they would feel like we're
done with this.
I mean, think about it.
(19:43):
They paid him over$5 million,well, around$5 million.
He won 11 games.
That's about$500,000 per win.
Did I get that right?
SPEAKER_00 (19:57):
I'm not a math major, but I think you're pretty
close right there, yes.
SPEAKER_01 (20:02):
So they're saying, you know, we've done all this
for you, and then you turncoaton us like that.
So I don't think they would takehim back.
It's a great question.
And I know that he had a lot ofrespect from his teammates.
I don't know if he could gain itback with an apology.
Maybe he could, and maybe hewould.
I think that's a very unlikelyscenario.
(20:23):
But I do think it's a greatquestion how Tennessee would
react.
And if there was a guaranteethat the dad was out of the
picture, I think that wouldcertainly enhance the chances of
Tennessee taking Nico back.
SPEAKER_00 (20:35):
And really, that's probably the rub.
How could you assure that hewould cut ties with his dad and
go his own way, make his owndecisions, and not allow his dad
to influence him or steer himone way or another?
That would be an...
an enormous gamble onTennessee's part, which is
probably why it wouldn't happenif he did go to them and
(20:57):
apologize, which is probably notgoing to happen either.
What does this mean for the Volson the field, Jimmy?
What does the quarterbackposition look like?
Clearly, Nico was going to bethe starter.
He was the guy they were goingto lean on to be the leader.
What now?
Are they content?
to go into the season with theother guys in that room?
(21:20):
Or will they be shopping whenthat portal opens?
They're going into the portal.
SPEAKER_01 (21:25):
And Josh Heupel even said that.
They need to go into the portal.
They would like to find aquarterback better than what
they have on campus.
If they can't find a quarterbackbetter than they have on campus
and have to get somebody that atleast is competitive, that you
feel like if you put in a game,you got a chance to win.
But yeah, they're going to go inthe portal, no doubt about it.
But here's the dicey situation.
(21:46):
What if you go in the portal andyou sign a quarterback that's
got two or three years ofeligibility left?
You're trying to build depth.
You do that and you might loseJake Merlinger and George
McIntyre.
Now, I think they should go andget the best quarterback you can
get that has one year ofeligibility left.
(22:07):
That's what I think they shoulddo.
Who is that guy?
I don't know.
But I think that's the rightapproach that you take.
Here's the other thing, too.
If you go in and get a guy withtwo or three years of
eligibility left, you've got afive-star quarterback committed
for 2026.
What's he going to think aboutthat?
So I think you've got to bereally careful about how you
approach that.
So if I'm Tennessee, I'm goingafter the best quarterback I can
(22:31):
find with one year ofeligibility left.
And, look, being honest aboutit, Nico's the best quarterback
on campus, or was.
And I don't see them winning asmany games without Nico.
Now, whoever they bring in maychange my mind.
But, Kevin, I wasn't as bullishon this Tennessee team as some
people.
I've heard a lot of them talkabout, oh, they're a playoff
(22:52):
team.
Vegas set the odds at 9.5, overunder 9.5.
Let me tell you something.
I'm going under in a heartbeat,even with Nico.
Even with Nico.
Even with Nico.
I don't think Tennessee is goingto be that good.
One, the defense will be solidagain.
Offensively, they werepedestrian last year.
They weren't that good in theSEC.
(23:12):
They had like five games wherethey couldn't even score in the
first half.
The receiving core right now ispretty average, and the
offensive line is prettyaverage, and you just lost the
SEC Offensive Player of the Yearin Dylan Sampson.
Your offense isn't going to beany better than it was, in my
opinion.
You're not going to beat Floridaat Florida.
They never do.
I don't think you beat Alabamaat Alabama, and you're not going
(23:34):
to beat Georgia.
And The hypo history atTennessee is that they lose to
somebody they shouldn't, whetherthat was Arkansas last year,
Missouri the year before, SouthCarolina the year before that.
SPEAKER_00 (23:46):
That's eight and four right there.
If you take care of business,the rest in every other game.
SPEAKER_01 (23:52):
So I think they're eight and four, even with Nico,
which is why if I were in Vegas,I'd be putting a lot of money on
the under on that nine and ahalf.
Now, understand it's going toeight and a half.
I still put Tennessee goingunder because I just don't see
it.
And one reason I say that aboutthe receivers and the offensive
linemen, Tennessee, they've gotsome talent in the receiving
(24:15):
corps, but their history hasbeen nobody in their first year
coming into Tennessee as areceiver has prospered.
One exception maybe is BrewMcCoy.
I think he caught like 52passes.
But all the others, it took thema while.
Offensive linemen, they bring inoffensive linemen.
Lance Hurd wasn't that good lastyear.
John Campbell from Miami thatcame in, he wasn't that good the
(24:36):
year before.
Their offensive linemen don'ttear it up when they get to
Tennessee in their first year.
They're better in their secondyear.
So I think this is going to bean offense that's going to be
challenged.
I think in SEC games, Tennesseeaveraged about 27 points last
year.
I think that number would besimilar this year with Nico.
(24:59):
Without him, it'll be less.
SPEAKER_00 (25:01):
Jimmy, let me ask you, before we wrap this up, let
me ask you kind of a big-picturequestion.
And Brendan, let's look at thatgraphic of the 24-7 sports
rankings.
This was the class of 2023, theclass that Nico Iamaliava was
in.
He was the number twoquarterback in the country.
And of those top 10quarterbacks, just two years
(25:24):
later, only three are still withthe school they originally
signed with.
Arch Manning at Texas, AveryJohnson, not to be confused with
the former Alabama basketballcoach at Kansas State.
And then Christopher Vazina,he's familiar to folks in this
area.
He played at Briarwood HighSchool and he's at Clemson.
(25:44):
That means seven of the 10 havesigned with other schools or
will be playing with otherschools because they will no
longer be like Nico with theiroriginal school.
Is this what we're going to seegoing forward?
at least until we have somesanity, some guidelines, some
rules, collective bargaining,whatever the answer turns out to
(26:04):
be to calm this chaos, are wegoing to continue
SPEAKER_01 (26:10):
to see this?
Kevin, I think we are.
That's a great graphic, by theway.
Here's another point, too.
How many of those 10quarterbacks have been a star so
far in college?
I think Arch Manning will be.
I would say zero
SPEAKER_00 (26:24):
so far to this point.
SPEAKER_01 (26:26):
Yeah, and maybe the best, most productive so far,
maybe Avery Johnson at KansasState, based on what he did last
year.
SPEAKER_00 (26:33):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (26:34):
But he wasn't great.
SPEAKER_00 (26:36):
No, he
SPEAKER_01 (26:36):
was not.
Yeah, I think that's reallyintriguing to see that.
So you know the name of WillOverstreet, right?
I do.
So Will Overstreet's a formerTennessee star defensive
lineman.
He does a TV show around here.
I was on a show with himyesterday.
He said he would not signanother quarterback out of high
school.
All he would do is go in theportal.
for quarterbacks in the future.
Never sign one.
(26:57):
I said, wait a minute.
I said, yeah, and I don't agreewith him, but here was my point.
I said, let's say Quinn Ewerswas a senior and you could sign
Arch Manning.
You're not signing Arch Manning?
Nope.
I would.
Now, if I got Quinn Ewers as asophomore, it makes it harder.
Well, Arch Manning went thereanyway.
(27:18):
But my point is, if I've gotenough separation, if I got a
quarterback that I think isgoing to be with me one more
year, and I can go get afive-star quarterback, you're
darn right I'm getting thatfive-star quarterback.
But if I've got a guy that's asophomore and he's really good
and there's a five-star outthere, it'd be hard for me not
(27:39):
to recruit him.
But I could see that guy saying,I don't know about going there
because you already got anestablished quarterback.
And as you know, thequarterbacks want to start right
away.
But I thought it was aninteresting proposition from
Will Overstreet I would neversign another high school
quarterback.
All I would do is try to findthe best quarterback I could
find in the portal.
SPEAKER_00 (28:00):
You got to wonder how many coaches are starting to
at least consider going thatroute as they move forward, that
unless you get a sure thing.
And how many of these guys aresure things?
Very few.
They're not sure things in theNFL draft, are they?
The NFL, nobody spends more timeevaluating, breaking down,
(28:23):
dissecting quarterbacks than NFLteams.
And what's their battingaverage?
It's not very good.
It's not very good.
So that explains how difficultit is to evaluate at that
position.
Now, look, everybody wants theclassic example of a quarterback
who can change your program inone season way before any of
(28:45):
this happened.
was Cam Newton.
Cam Newton took what would havebeen a 7-5 Auburn team, went
14-0, won the nationalchampionship, won the Heisman,
became the number one pick inthe NFL draft, and then had a
very, very nice and long,productive NFL career.
Became MVP one year.
So everyone's looking for thatkind of player, but those kind
of players are so rare.
(29:08):
And maybe it is fool's gold.
Maybe you're better off goinginto the portal looking and not
helping to develop an ArchManning.
And I'm with you.
I think he's going to be reallygood for Steve Sarkeesian in
Texas.
But maybe you're better offtrying to find that Cam Newton,
that guy who comes in, maybeonly has one year of
eligibility, may only be withyou for one year.
(29:29):
Who was the quarterback of theOhio State team that won the
national championship?
Was he there for four years?
He was not.
Will Howard came from Kansas
SPEAKER_01 (29:37):
State.
That's right.
SPEAKER_00 (29:38):
Miami
SPEAKER_01 (29:39):
had a good year with Cam Ward, Dylan Gabriel at
Oregon.
We've seen guys go in as aone-year guy, plug and play, a
quarterback, and they've donereally well, which is kind of
interesting because you hearthese coaches, you know, we've
got to build chemistry and heneeds to learn the system.
You've got to be here threeyears to figure all this stuff
out.
But we've seen some really goodones go in there.
(30:00):
Now, having said that, we'vealso seen some quarterbacks that
flopped under the samesituation.
SPEAKER_00 (30:06):
Yes.
Again, no guarantees at thatposition.
Right.
So as we wrap this up, Jimmy, isit fair?
And I know fairness is kind ofan antiquated concept nowadays.
And we're talking about collegeathletes that are getting paid
2.4 million a year to bemediocre or whatever it was that
(30:26):
Nico got last year at Tennessee.
Although they did get to theplayoff.
Is it fair that he is taking somuch heat as a 20 year old who
clearly has a helicopter dad andpulling the strings, making the
decisions, miscalculating wildlyleft and right.
(30:47):
Is it fair to assign blame tohim or how much blame do you
assign to him and how much tothe dad?
SPEAKER_01 (30:56):
I think it's unfair to put all the blame on Nico
because I think the dad'spulling the strings.
He's calling the shots.
He's the one that put his son inthis position.
And now should Tennessee haveseen this coming?
Based on negotiations back inhigh school?
That's a good question.
I don't know.
But I don't blame the kid asmuch.
(31:16):
Now, he's public enemy numberone, and so is the Amaliava
family.
But I put most of this on thedad.
Look, I never was in a positionof having an overbearing parent
or having somebody that wasjust, hey, you have to do this,
you have to do that.
I never incurred that.
So I'm a little bit sympatheticto somebody that goes through
that, Kevin.
(31:36):
So I put some blame on him.
But I'll put most of it on hisdad for what he's put his son
through and using his son theway he has.
SPEAKER_00 (31:46):
I think that's the bottom line.
Jimmy, we're going to let you goback to your semi-retirement.
We appreciate you taking time tovisit with us today and break
down this situation.
No one knows the state ofTennessee, the University of
Tennessee like Jimmy Hyams.
Really appreciated theconversation, Jimmy.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (32:03):
Thanks, Kevin.
I appreciate it.
Have a great day.
SPEAKER_00 (32:05):
All right.
And that's going to do it forScarbo Knows.
this edition.
Thank you to Brendan Martin, ouroutstanding producer.
Thank you again to Jimmy Hyams.
Thank you to all of you who arestarting to grow our audience
and watch and listen, follow uswherever you get podcasts on
YouTube, on your favoritepodcast app.
You can find us everywhere.
(32:26):
Scarborough knows we'll be backnext time.
Everyone have a great day.
so What in the world is happening to college
(00:43):
football?
Alabama has a spring game thatattracts about 15,000 people to
Bryant-Denny Stadium.
It wasn't really even a game.
It was a glorified practice.
And by the way, if you wanted toget on the field to have your
favorite player or coach signsomething, you had to contribute
(01:04):
to Alabama's collective, YayAlabama.
At Colorado, where CordellStewart does not have his jersey
retired, come Saturday, ShadorSanders will.
It helps to have your dad as thehead coach.
And meanwhile, a 20-year-oldquarterback, formerly of the
(01:25):
Tennessee Volunteers, hassuddenly become public enemy
number one in the entire sport.
You talk about what's happeningtoday on tax day.
No one is paying the piper overthe last few days, quite like
Nico Iamaliava from formerly ofthe Tennessee Volunteers.
Now, when I want to know what'sreally happening in Knoxville
(01:49):
surrounding the Tennesseeprogram, when I want to separate
the hysteria from the truth, Ieither read or listen to or
watch my guest today, longtimeSEC columnist, reporter,
broadcaster, his Twitter biosays he's retired, but he still
seems to be working to me.
(02:10):
Jimmy Hyams is our guest today.
Jimmy, how are you doing?
Kevin?
I'm doing great.
I hope you are as well.
I am.
Thank you so much for joining meto try to bring some sense and
some sanity to what really hasbecome an insane situation.
So let's, let's start at thebeginning here.
Before we get into the heart ofthe matter, tell us about Nico.
(02:31):
as a person because it's almostas if nico the person has gotten
lost here he's become a symbolhe's become a rallying cry uh
he's become a as i said publicenemy number one in some
people's eyes totally unfair inmy mind what is nico like as a
person from what you've gottento know in the short time
relatively speaking he's been inknoxville
SPEAKER_01 (02:54):
a good kid a polite kid he came in with the five
stars rating he came in making alot of money but he did not um
Showed that with his teammates.
He was very humble.
He tried to be a sponge.
He wanted to learn.
He didn't walk in like, hey, I'mthe dude.
Everybody get out of my way.
Wasn't like that at all.
(03:15):
And so I heard nothing butcompliments from his teammates,
from the players around him,from the coaches.
I think he's a good kid.
And I think he's gotten somehorrible advice, but I think
he's a good kid who histeammates really liked a lot.
Until now.
SPEAKER_00 (03:33):
Until recent events might have changed some minds.
And we should remind people, heis 20 years old.
He'll turn 21 on September 2nd,three days after the Vols open
against Syracuse.
Now, Jimmy, let's talk aboutNico the player.
Obviously, he was the starterlast year as a redshirt
freshman, or I guess he was asophomore.
(03:53):
He played in the bowl game theyear before Syracuse.
He was a part of a Tennesseeteam that went to the playoff
for the first time since theywon that national championship
the first year of the BCS.
Let's look at some of hisnumbers.
We've got a graphic to pop uphere, Brendan, if you will.
Look at his rankings, hisnumbers and his rankings in a
(04:14):
number of categories within theSEC.
Jimmy, tell us just yourevaluation of him as a player
last year.
SPEAKER_01 (04:23):
He was an above-average quarterback.
There was a whole bunch of, Icall it malarkey out there, that
he was a Heisman Trophycandidate in Vegas.
They had him as one of the topfive in the country in the
Heisman Trophy.
I thought, oh, that was a bunchof bull.
He had never proven it.
And he did play pretty well inthe bowl game that he started.
You mentioned he had one startthere.
That was against Iowa.
(04:44):
But I didn't see him being thegreat player.
I saw a lot of talent.
But if you look at thosenumbers, so he was 10th in the
SEC in passing yards per game.
Kevin, they had the six bestopponents Tennessee played last
year.
They were three and three.
He completed 57.5% of hispasses, and he had five
(05:05):
touchdowns and threeinterceptions.
Those are against the best teamsthat he played.
Those are very pedestriannumbers.
Now, do I still think he's got achance to be a really good
quarterback?
I do, but he hadn't proven ityet.
And to come in and say, okay, Iwant to jump from 2.4, 2.7
million to 4 million a year,That's laughable.
(05:26):
Laughable.
And then when he no-showed atpractice, Josh Hypo really got
ticked off at him.
Hypo's a pretty affable guy.
He doesn't get upset about much,but that really, it ticked him
off.
One, that Nico didn't show, andsecondly, cut off all
communication.
And I was told on Friday, thatparticular Friday, that he was
done.
He would never wear anotherTennessee uniform, and that
(05:49):
proved to be true.
SPEAKER_00 (05:50):
Well, let's transition.
And I'm with you.
Again, you look at those numberswhere he ranked among SEC
quarterbacks last year, eighthin total passing yards, seventh
in passing touchdowns, seventhin interceptions.
That's the definition ofmediocrity or mid, as the kids
say nowadays.
Not that he didn't have upside,and he was a first-year starter.
(06:13):
We have to take that intoaccount.
But the idea that you would,after putting together that kind
of season– think that you weredo a 67% raise or whatever the
number was that they were askingfor, I think is what has turned
so many people off.
Walk us through, if you will,because we've seen so many
stories.
We've heard so many rumors aboutwhat actually went down last
(06:38):
Thursday.
Supposedly, he's at aquarterback meeting in the
evening at the offensivecoordinator's house.
Everything is lovely.
It's seashells and balloons.
Then the story breaks.
The dad criticizes Pete Nacosfrom on three, calls him a
rather unflattering term.
And the next thing you know, hedoesn't show up at practice, as
you said, Friday.
(06:58):
Just walk us through the processas best you are aware
SPEAKER_01 (07:01):
of.
I'll take you back to December.
There were rumblings in Decemberthat E.M.
Aliavo and his dad, now his dadis the driving force.
Let's make no mistake aboutthat.
His dad is calling the shots.
There's no question.
So back then when they sawCarson Beck getting$4 million to
go to Miami, when they saw aquarterback from Tulane going to
(07:21):
Duke for about$4 million, thosehave not been substantiated to
my knowledge, but it's beenreported it's around$4 million.
The dad said, hey, then we wantthat.
Well, they didn't resolve it inDecember.
And one of the other thingsallegedly that the dad asked for
is he wanted a better supportingcast.
He needs another receiver ortwo.
He needs another offensivelineman or two to help him.
(07:44):
And quite frankly, Tennessee'sreceiving core wasn't that good
last year.
So that is part of the equation,I think.
But I guarantee you this, ifTennessee had said, Nico, we
give you$4 million, but you'renot getting another receiver,
he'd still be at Tennessee.
So this is all about the money.
All right, so you're exactlyright about Thursday.
They had the quarterbackmeeting.
(08:04):
He was there.
They were still– now, whathappened from December until
recently, I've heard people sayongoing negotiations.
I think there was a ceasefire.
There wasn't a whole lot ofconversation going on for a long
time.
And so then as the portalapproaches, then the dad gets
involved and says, okay, we want$4 million from Tennessee.
(08:27):
And Tennessee's like, whoa, waita minute.
And I think basically Tennesseesaid the kid isn't good enough
to pay him$4 million.
Not only that, you're going tomess up the structure of what
we're trying to pay otherplayers.
And how about this novel idea?
Why don't you honor yourcontract?
I know it's not binding.
But remember, Tennessee, hesigned a four-year contract with
(08:48):
Tennessee.
Tennessee paid him, I'm not 100%sure of this, but close to a
million dollars his senior yearof high school when he did
nothing for Tennessee.
So then he goes to Tennessee thefirst year.
He makes around$2 million.
He actually did redshirt.
He played few enough games to beable to redshirt.
And then last year, he had amediocre year, and he got paid
(09:12):
about$2.4 million.
And then he wants a bump fromthat to about 4 million.
It's like, are you kidding me?
So I think Tennessee, and thisis the guy that's supposed to be
the leader of your team.
And all this was from his dad'sperspective is a money grab.
That's all it is.
We're going to shop it.
And by the way, the dad hadactually called Oregon the week
(09:34):
before, shopping him aroundsaying, hey, how much would you
pay for my son to go to Oregon?
SPEAKER_00 (09:40):
I want to ask you about that because that story
has been circulating thatperhaps it may have been Oregon
coach Dan Lanning or someoneclose to him who blew the
whistle on that reach out andlet Tennessee know, hey, by the
way, your starting quarterbackor someone representing your
starting quarterback, namely hisfather, I would suppose, is
(10:04):
reaching out and shopping him toother schools.
Is there truth to that as far asyou know?
i
SPEAKER_01 (10:10):
do not know i don't know what that occurred i do
know that dan lanning was askedafter the spring game about it
and he said no comment
SPEAKER_00 (10:20):
that's a comment of its own right
SPEAKER_01 (10:22):
yeah so but i i don't know i can't say for sure
if what you just mentionedoccurred so i don't know
SPEAKER_00 (10:30):
now perhaps the most damaging as if what you've
already described isn't damagingenough to Nico, his father, the
family, the player's reputation,and perhaps his future.
Even worse than all of that,Josh Pate from CBS Sports Online
(10:53):
has come out and said in nouncertain terms that Nico, going
into the playoff last year,asked Tennessee for more money
because His alleged contractdidn't cover the postseason.
It only covered the regularseason, 12 games, and perhaps if
they would have made the SECchampionship game.
(11:15):
That is beyond outrageous if itis true.
Josh Pate didn't cite sources.
I don't know about hiscredibility on that or anything
else, to be honest.
But that is a really damagingallegation to throw out there.
Do you have any knowledgewhatsoever about that?
SPEAKER_01 (11:32):
No, I don't.
I just know that it was inDecember that they started
pursuing a contract because theysaw what Carson Beck was getting
in Miami and what Mensah wasgetting at Duke.
So I am aware of that.
I don't know if they asked formore money just to play.
I will say this, and I amsemi-retired.
(11:54):
I'm trying not to do a whole lothere, so I don't dig like I used
to.
Right.
In regard to this situation withNico, I have been talking with a
number of people who believethat it's going to be a
situation where a player's goingto say, if you want me to play
in the playoff game, I want anextra$100,000.
It's going to come to that.
(12:15):
It shouldn't, but I think itwill come to that with some
players.
I can't say that Nico did that.
To be honest with you, knowingthe way his dad works, I
wouldn't be surprised, but I donot know that for a fact.
SPEAKER_00 (12:29):
You've always had your finger on the pulse of Vol
Nation, their feelings aboutwhatever is happening in
Knoxville.
And I think, as you mentionedearlier, Josh Heupel has been
almost universally applauded forthe way that he handled this.
He may have been angry inprivate.
He kept it private when he spokeat the spring game or after the
(12:52):
spring game.
He was complimentary of Nico.
He wished him well.
appreciated his contributions tothe program.
He didn't go negative as hecertainly could have.
SPEAKER_01 (13:01):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (13:02):
Has that been the general reaction of the fan
base?
Good riddance.
You don't care enough aboutrunning through the power T.
And if you don't, we don't wantyou here.
SPEAKER_01 (13:14):
Yes, that is it.
Good riddance.
You're out of here.
They support what Josh Seipeldid.
And by the way, I heard a numberof people in the media at that
press conference, which I didattend, say they thought that
was the best press conferenceJosh Heupel's ever had, the way
he handled that situation.
And I think it would rank amongthe best that he's had.
But he took the high road onthat situation.
(13:37):
He did, of course, point outthat Tennessee is bigger than
Nico or any player or himself,being Heupel.
So, yeah, I thought he handledit very well.
But that is– I mean, Nico– Hewent from being very popular to
being public enemy number oneamong the Vol Nation.
(13:57):
I think they probably dislikehim more than they ever disliked
Steve Spurrier.
Whoa, that's a huge statement.
That's saying a lot back whenSpurrier was beating and gigging
Tennessee.
Yes, on a regular basis.
Who will ever forget you can'tspell citrus without UT?
yes yeah among others but umyeah so uh he he's really burned
(14:22):
that bridge here's anotherthought about that kevin so
let's say he's gonna go to ithink he's going west coast i
may be wrong uh i heard northcarolina i don't know if that's
gonna happen texas tech let'sjust say he goes texas tech he's
not gonna get four million idon't think i don't think
anybody's gonna pay him thatmuch because he's not worth it
(14:43):
but what if he goes to texastech for three million Let's say
he throws 10 touchdown passesthe first three games.
And he says, hey, I want amillion more.
I'm not playing.
He might
SPEAKER_00 (14:53):
do that.
What's to stop him?
SPEAKER_01 (14:55):
Yes.
And if I'm that school, I'mleery of that.
I'm not touching a guy thatwould do something like that.
So I'll be curious to see wherehe lands.
I do think the dad certainlyoverplayed his hand by asking
for$4 million.
Way overplayed it.
And I think Tennessee did theright thing by not– Caving in.
SPEAKER_00 (15:17):
So his dad is driving the bus, as you said.
So does he not have a formalagent from outside the family to
help advise them on these kindof decisions, these
career-making or potentiallybreaking situations?
SPEAKER_01 (15:33):
My understanding is he does not have a formal agent,
but he does have an advisor.
And I don't know if the dad andthe advisor are on the same
page.
I don't know that.
I will tell you another thingthat surfaced around here, and I
don't know how true this is, andthis would lean into maybe
(15:54):
siding slightly with the E.M.
Aliala plan, and that is therehad been some that have
suggested that Tennessee'scollective Spire Sports had been
indicating to Nico and hisfamily, we're going to get you
more money.
We're going to get it there.
You just stick with us and we'llget more money.
(16:15):
And that maybe Tennessee was noton the same page with that and
didn't know that was going on.
SPEAKER_00 (16:23):
Okay.
That's a great point that youbring up.
And that's part of the reasonthat we have the chaos that we
have.
When you factor in the transferportal, the NIL money, none of
which by themselves arenecessarily bad things.
I don't think any of usbegrudges these guys getting a
cut of the pie because And Idon't want to speak for you, but
(16:45):
certainly my feeling is we knowhow much money is flowing into
college football.
We know what coaches are making,athletic directors,
commissioners, et cetera, etcetera, et cetera.
So the guys who are puttingtheir bodies on the line
certainly have earned a cut ofthe pie.
It's the fact that there are noreal guardrails, no real rules
here.
(17:06):
It is get what you can get whenyou can get it.
And that's, I think what upsetspeople more than anything.
And I've got to ask you this.
And I, I think I know youranswer based on what you said so
far.
What if, and it is interestingto watch and everybody's on the
Nico watch now, what's he goingto do?
(17:26):
Where's he going to go?
What's he going to get paid?
Is he going to get a decentoffer?
North Carolina apparently hasturned in a different direction.
Some reports came out of thestate of Alabama where, late
last night, that Gio Lopez, thequarterback at South Alabama, is
now the target for NorthCarolina, and he's most likely
going to end up there when theportal, of course, the portal
(17:48):
opens up on Wednesday.
So maybe that's another schooloff the list for Nico.
What if, and maybe I'm trying tolook for a silver lining here if
that's even possible.
What would happen if NicoIamaliava said to his father,
(18:09):
Dad, you screwed up.
We made a huge mistake.
I didn't want to leaveTennessee.
I liked it at Tennessee.
I had a great opportunity atTennessee.
I'm playing for one of the bestoffensive minds in the country
in Josh Heupel.
We went to the playoff.
I like my teammates.
I'm going to go to Josh Heupel,and I'm going to apologize, and
(18:32):
I'm going to say, Coach, Iscrewed up.
My dad screwed up.
I am sorry.
horribly, terribly sorry that weput you and the program through
this.
I would like to come back.
I would like to come back andearn my spot back.
I don't want to play anywhereelse.
I want to play at Tennessee.
(18:52):
What would their reaction be?
A, from Josh Heupel, B, from theuniversity, C, from the fan
base?
SPEAKER_01 (18:59):
That's a great question.
I don't know the answer to it.
I know that that Hypo was reallyticked off that Nico was a
no-show at Friday practice andcut off all communication.
Okay.
He didn't have to cut off allcommunication unless I'm sure
his dad told him to.
I would say that if he came backto Tennessee to Hypo, to the
(19:22):
teammates, to the fan base andapologized, I don't think
Tennessee would take him back.
And I don't think they wouldbecause that's the kid saying
it, but we don't trust the dad.
The dad's a problem, and I thinkthat they would feel like we're
done with this.
I mean, think about it.
(19:43):
They paid him over$5 million,well, around$5 million.
He won 11 games.
That's about$500,000 per win.
Did I get that right?
SPEAKER_00 (19:57):
I'm not a math major, but I think you're pretty
close right there, yes.
SPEAKER_01 (20:02):
So they're saying, you know, we've done all this
for you, and then you turncoaton us like that.
So I don't think they would takehim back.
It's a great question.
And I know that he had a lot ofrespect from his teammates.
I don't know if he could gain itback with an apology.
Maybe he could, and maybe hewould.
I think that's a very unlikelyscenario.
(20:23):
But I do think it's a greatquestion how Tennessee would
react.
And if there was a guaranteethat the dad was out of the
picture, I think that wouldcertainly enhance the chances of
Tennessee taking Nico back.
SPEAKER_00 (20:35):
And really, that's probably the rub.
How could you assure that hewould cut ties with his dad and
go his own way, make his owndecisions, and not allow his dad
to influence him or steer himone way or another?
That would be an...
an enormous gamble onTennessee's part, which is
probably why it wouldn't happenif he did go to them and
(20:57):
apologize, which is probably notgoing to happen either.
What does this mean for the Volson the field, Jimmy?
What does the quarterbackposition look like?
Clearly, Nico was going to bethe starter.
He was the guy they were goingto lean on to be the leader.
What now?
Are they content?
to go into the season with theother guys in that room?
(21:20):
Or will they be shopping whenthat portal opens?
They're going into the portal.
SPEAKER_01 (21:25):
And Josh Heupel even said that.
They need to go into the portal.
They would like to find aquarterback better than what
they have on campus.
If they can't find a quarterbackbetter than they have on campus
and have to get somebody that atleast is competitive, that you
feel like if you put in a game,you got a chance to win.
But yeah, they're going to go inthe portal, no doubt about it.
But here's the dicey situation.
(21:46):
What if you go in the portal andyou sign a quarterback that's
got two or three years ofeligibility left?
You're trying to build depth.
You do that and you might loseJake Merlinger and George
McIntyre.
Now, I think they should go andget the best quarterback you can
get that has one year ofeligibility left.
(22:07):
That's what I think they shoulddo.
Who is that guy?
I don't know.
But I think that's the rightapproach that you take.
Here's the other thing, too.
If you go in and get a guy withtwo or three years of
eligibility left, you've got afive-star quarterback committed
for 2026.
What's he going to think aboutthat?
So I think you've got to bereally careful about how you
approach that.
So if I'm Tennessee, I'm goingafter the best quarterback I can
(22:31):
find with one year ofeligibility left.
And, look, being honest aboutit, Nico's the best quarterback
on campus, or was.
And I don't see them winning asmany games without Nico.
Now, whoever they bring in maychange my mind.
But, Kevin, I wasn't as bullishon this Tennessee team as some
people.
I've heard a lot of them talkabout, oh, they're a playoff
(22:52):
team.
Vegas set the odds at 9.5, overunder 9.5.
Let me tell you something.
I'm going under in a heartbeat,even with Nico.
Even with Nico.
Even with Nico.
I don't think Tennessee is goingto be that good.
One, the defense will be solidagain.
Offensively, they werepedestrian last year.
They weren't that good in theSEC.
(23:12):
They had like five games wherethey couldn't even score in the
first half.
The receiving core right now ispretty average, and the
offensive line is prettyaverage, and you just lost the
SEC Offensive Player of the Yearin Dylan Sampson.
Your offense isn't going to beany better than it was, in my
opinion.
You're not going to beat Floridaat Florida.
They never do.
I don't think you beat Alabamaat Alabama, and you're not going
(23:34):
to beat Georgia.
And The hypo history atTennessee is that they lose to
somebody they shouldn't, whetherthat was Arkansas last year,
Missouri the year before, SouthCarolina the year before that.
SPEAKER_00 (23:46):
That's eight and four right there.
If you take care of business,the rest in every other game.
SPEAKER_01 (23:52):
So I think they're eight and four, even with Nico,
which is why if I were in Vegas,I'd be putting a lot of money on
the under on that nine and ahalf.
Now, understand it's going toeight and a half.
I still put Tennessee goingunder because I just don't see
it.
And one reason I say that aboutthe receivers and the offensive
linemen, Tennessee, they've gotsome talent in the receiving
(24:15):
corps, but their history hasbeen nobody in their first year
coming into Tennessee as areceiver has prospered.
One exception maybe is BrewMcCoy.
I think he caught like 52passes.
But all the others, it took thema while.
Offensive linemen, they bring inoffensive linemen.
Lance Hurd wasn't that good lastyear.
John Campbell from Miami thatcame in, he wasn't that good the
(24:36):
year before.
Their offensive linemen don'ttear it up when they get to
Tennessee in their first year.
They're better in their secondyear.
So I think this is going to bean offense that's going to be
challenged.
I think in SEC games, Tennesseeaveraged about 27 points last
year.
I think that number would besimilar this year with Nico.
(24:59):
Without him, it'll be less.
SPEAKER_00 (25:01):
Jimmy, let me ask you, before we wrap this up, let
me ask you kind of a big-picturequestion.
And Brendan, let's look at thatgraphic of the 24-7 sports
rankings.
This was the class of 2023, theclass that Nico Iamaliava was
in.
He was the number twoquarterback in the country.
And of those top 10quarterbacks, just two years
(25:24):
later, only three are still withthe school they originally
signed with.
Arch Manning at Texas, AveryJohnson, not to be confused with
the former Alabama basketballcoach at Kansas State.
And then Christopher Vazina,he's familiar to folks in this
area.
He played at Briarwood HighSchool and he's at Clemson.
(25:44):
That means seven of the 10 havesigned with other schools or
will be playing with otherschools because they will no
longer be like Nico with theiroriginal school.
Is this what we're going to seegoing forward?
at least until we have somesanity, some guidelines, some
rules, collective bargaining,whatever the answer turns out to
(26:04):
be to calm this chaos, are wegoing to continue
SPEAKER_01 (26:10):
to see this?
Kevin, I think we are.
That's a great graphic, by theway.
Here's another point, too.
How many of those 10quarterbacks have been a star so
far in college?
I think Arch Manning will be.
I would say zero
SPEAKER_00 (26:24):
so far to this point.
SPEAKER_01 (26:26):
Yeah, and maybe the best, most productive so far,
maybe Avery Johnson at KansasState, based on what he did last
year.
SPEAKER_00 (26:33):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (26:34):
But he wasn't great.
SPEAKER_00 (26:36):
No, he
SPEAKER_01 (26:36):
was not.
Yeah, I think that's reallyintriguing to see that.
So you know the name of WillOverstreet, right?
I do.
So Will Overstreet's a formerTennessee star defensive
lineman.
He does a TV show around here.
I was on a show with himyesterday.
He said he would not signanother quarterback out of high
school.
All he would do is go in theportal.
for quarterbacks in the future.
Never sign one.
(26:57):
I said, wait a minute.
I said, yeah, and I don't agreewith him, but here was my point.
I said, let's say Quinn Ewerswas a senior and you could sign
Arch Manning.
You're not signing Arch Manning?
Nope.
I would.
Now, if I got Quinn Ewers as asophomore, it makes it harder.
Well, Arch Manning went thereanyway.
(27:18):
But my point is, if I've gotenough separation, if I got a
quarterback that I think isgoing to be with me one more
year, and I can go get afive-star quarterback, you're
darn right I'm getting thatfive-star quarterback.
But if I've got a guy that's asophomore and he's really good
and there's a five-star outthere, it'd be hard for me not
(27:39):
to recruit him.
But I could see that guy saying,I don't know about going there
because you already got anestablished quarterback.
And as you know, thequarterbacks want to start right
away.
But I thought it was aninteresting proposition from
Will Overstreet I would neversign another high school
quarterback.
All I would do is try to findthe best quarterback I could
find in the portal.
SPEAKER_00 (28:00):
You got to wonder how many coaches are starting to
at least consider going thatroute as they move forward, that
unless you get a sure thing.
And how many of these guys aresure things?
Very few.
They're not sure things in theNFL draft, are they?
The NFL, nobody spends more timeevaluating, breaking down,
(28:23):
dissecting quarterbacks than NFLteams.
And what's their battingaverage?
It's not very good.
It's not very good.
So that explains how difficultit is to evaluate at that
position.
Now, look, everybody wants theclassic example of a quarterback
who can change your program inone season way before any of
(28:45):
this happened.
was Cam Newton.
Cam Newton took what would havebeen a 7-5 Auburn team, went
14-0, won the nationalchampionship, won the Heisman,
became the number one pick inthe NFL draft, and then had a
very, very nice and long,productive NFL career.
Became MVP one year.
So everyone's looking for thatkind of player, but those kind
of players are so rare.
(29:08):
And maybe it is fool's gold.
Maybe you're better off goinginto the portal looking and not
helping to develop an ArchManning.
And I'm with you.
I think he's going to be reallygood for Steve Sarkeesian in
Texas.
But maybe you're better offtrying to find that Cam Newton,
that guy who comes in, maybeonly has one year of
eligibility, may only be withyou for one year.
(29:29):
Who was the quarterback of theOhio State team that won the
national championship?
Was he there for four years?
He was not.
Will Howard came from Kansas
SPEAKER_01 (29:37):
State.
That's right.
SPEAKER_00 (29:38):
Miami
SPEAKER_01 (29:39):
had a good year with Cam Ward, Dylan Gabriel at
Oregon.
We've seen guys go in as aone-year guy, plug and play, a
quarterback, and they've donereally well, which is kind of
interesting because you hearthese coaches, you know, we've
got to build chemistry and heneeds to learn the system.
You've got to be here threeyears to figure all this stuff
out.
But we've seen some really goodones go in there.
(30:00):
Now, having said that, we'vealso seen some quarterbacks that
flopped under the samesituation.
SPEAKER_00 (30:06):
Yes.
Again, no guarantees at thatposition.
Right.
So as we wrap this up, Jimmy, isit fair?
And I know fairness is kind ofan antiquated concept nowadays.
And we're talking about collegeathletes that are getting paid
2.4 million a year to bemediocre or whatever it was that
(30:26):
Nico got last year at Tennessee.
Although they did get to theplayoff.
Is it fair that he is taking somuch heat as a 20 year old who
clearly has a helicopter dad andpulling the strings, making the
decisions, miscalculating wildlyleft and right.
(30:47):
Is it fair to assign blame tohim or how much blame do you
assign to him and how much tothe dad?
SPEAKER_01 (30:56):
I think it's unfair to put all the blame on Nico
because I think the dad'spulling the strings.
He's calling the shots.
He's the one that put his son inthis position.
And now should Tennessee haveseen this coming?
Based on negotiations back inhigh school?
That's a good question.
I don't know.
But I don't blame the kid asmuch.
(31:16):
Now, he's public enemy numberone, and so is the Amaliava
family.
But I put most of this on thedad.
Look, I never was in a positionof having an overbearing parent
or having somebody that wasjust, hey, you have to do this,
you have to do that.
I never incurred that.
So I'm a little bit sympatheticto somebody that goes through
that, Kevin.
(31:36):
So I put some blame on him.
But I'll put most of it on hisdad for what he's put his son
through and using his son theway he has.
SPEAKER_00 (31:46):
I think that's the bottom line.
Jimmy, we're going to let you goback to your semi-retirement.
We appreciate you taking time tovisit with us today and break
down this situation.
No one knows the state ofTennessee, the University of
Tennessee like Jimmy Hyams.
Really appreciated theconversation, Jimmy.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (32:03):
Thanks, Kevin.
I appreciate it.
Have a great day.
SPEAKER_00 (32:05):
All right.
And that's going to do it forScarbo Knows.
this edition.
Thank you to Brendan Martin, ouroutstanding producer.
Thank you again to Jimmy Hyams.
Thank you to all of you who arestarting to grow our audience
and watch and listen, follow uswherever you get podcasts on
YouTube, on your favoritepodcast app.
You can find us everywhere.
(32:26):
Scarborough knows we'll be backnext time.
Everyone have a great day.
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