Tennessee Volunteers
Show Me The Money
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I don’t know about you, but college football is my favorite sport.
It’s my favorite sport to watch, it’s my favorite to talk about, and it always been my favorite to report on.
Guys used to play the game by giving all they had, dreaming of the riches that may come for those fortunate enough to play in the NFL.
The collegiate game is definitely changing and looks more like the NFL because of Name Image and Likeness (NIL) money, and the ease of changing schools through the Transfer Portal.
Nico Iamaleava’s messy exit from Tennessee might’ve just shown us what college football’s new normal is going to look like.
After trying to renegotiate his NIL deal from around $2.2 million up to $4 million for the upcoming season, Iamaleava skipped a spring practice without telling anyone.
That was the final straw for head coach Josh Heupel, and now the once highly touted QB is in the transfer portal, looking for a new team and a bigger payday.
This wasn’t totally out of the blue. Iamaleava originally made headlines back in high school with an $8 million NIL deal, setting a new bar for recruits.
But now, with top quarterbacks like Carson Beck and Darian Mensah landing $4 million deals at Miami and Duke, Iamaleava’s camp, mainly his dad and agent, wanted to get him a raise to stay competitive.
The problem? It’s April, and most teams already have their rosters set. Plus, SEC rules mean he can’t transfer within the conference and play right away.
Options like North Carolina and Tulane were mentioned, but they’ve either backed off or just don’t have the budget for a $4 million quarterback.
All this has caused a lot of debate. Holding out is a move we’re used to seeing in the NFL, not college.
But with how NIL works right now, or doesn’t work, it’s kind of inevitable. There are no real rules or structure.
Deals vary wildly from one school to another, promises sometimes fall through, and the NCAA hasn’t done much to bring order to the chaos.
Without contracts that actually mean something or rules that apply to everyone, it’s a free-for-all.
Some folks say the fix is simple: treat players like coaches. Coaches sign contracts with buyouts. If they leave early, someone pays a fee. It could be the coach or the school hiring him, but that money changes hands.
That system doesn’t stop movement, but it does slow things down, maybe even helps with renegotiations or smoother exits.
If NIL deals worked the same way, with built-in buyouts, players and schools might think twice before jumping ship or playing hardball.
But that kind of fix only works if all the major schools are on board.
If some schools do it and others don’t, players will just follow the money to the places with fewer restrictions. And as long as athletes aren’t considered employees, there’s no collective bargaining to create consistent rules.
The NCAA keeps hoping Congress will step in, but let’s be real, that’s probably not happening. And any attempt to enforce tighter rules is likely to get challenged in court, like everything else the NCAA tries.
This isn’t about blaming Iamaleava or calling players greedy. It’s about recognizing that the system is broken and something has to give.
Right now, college football is stuck in this weird space where players have more power than ever, but the infrastructure hasn’t caught up.
Boosters and collectives are throwing around big money, but without guardrails, stories like this will keep popping up.
Iamaleava might not get the deal he wants this time around, but more players are going to try. This isn’t the end of college football, but it is a sign that the game’s rules, both on and off the field, are changing fast.
It’s time to stop reacting with shock every time something like this happens and start figuring out real solutions.
Taking Off The Jersey
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Nico Iamaleava’s name will go down in college football history as one that created a turning point for players in multiple ways.
Which part fans remember might depend on how the rest of Iamaleava’s football career plays out.
As he prepares to enter the transfer portal amid a public breakup with Tennessee about name, image and likeness re-negotiations, this first-of-its-kind NFL-style holdout situation was possible only because of what had come before it.
Iamaleava once again has brought college football a lot closer to … whatever its future will be. His NIL deal going public before enrolling at Tennessee and the legal defense of it led to more money for players. Iamaleava gave a lot more leverage to the players by knowing the value of college athletes.
On the other hand, his public breakup with Tennessee gave leverage to the universities. Had Tennessee and its collective balked or hesitated, more stars might’ve started public holdouts. Instead, Vols fans backed coach Josh Heupel, and players are anticipating that fans won’t be on their side.
It started in 2022, an $8 million multiyear for Iamaleava while he was still in high school.
It was one of the first sets of public NIL numbers, and this caught more attention from the public because Iamaleava hadn’t played a single down of college football.
When the NCAA looked into it, the state of Tennessee’s attorney general sued the Tennessee collective, leading to a settlement that allows boosters to negotiate NIL with athletes and their agents before players enroll.
Both of those situations will likely lead to more millions going to players. The public contract leak in 2022 reset the market for active players and recruits and has removed the possibility of universities underpaying athletes who are inexperienced in negotiation.
The AG’s lawsuit opened the door to more direct NIL conversations with recruits. Cracking the NIL and creating a more lucrative space for athletes is part of Iamaleava’s legacy.
That is why the whole idea of calling this “NIL” remains farcical. The millions and millions spent on players for NIL come from boosters, local business owners, and rich alumni who want these players to represent their business the same way they represent their university.
This has created tension between regular fans, who don’t care about any individual’s success, they just want to see their team win…
College football is a transient sport; because of that fans root for a team more than a player because the players are only there for 4 years MAX.
The NCAA was able to keep up amateurism and cheat athletes for so long. The NCAA has purposely made the unionization of players hard on the principle that fans, more often than not, will show up on Saturdays no matter who’s on the field, even if they’re showing up with paper bags on their heads.
That reminder is the message coming out of Iamaleava’s impending divorce from Tennessee. Tennessee was one of the only states in America that never outlawed sharecropping, and their slave-owner mentality with college athletes is what bit them in the ass financially and on the field.
There is no college football without college athletes, and there is no excellence in college football without excellent college athletes.
The story is far from over. Perhaps Iamaleava finds a new home, continues to succeed, and earns whatever amount of money he’s worth.
Perhaps Tennessee can’t find an adequate replacement internally or in the portal and struggles in 2025.
The Vols appear willing to live with the potential consequences of fumbling a world class athlete, and the fans support being a worse team in 2025.
Players are worth what organizations are willing to pay them. That’s basic business. This breakup is a reminder that it only goes so far.
The Song For Tennessee?
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
One graveyard for another.
What, no “Rocky Top” quip to intro the Vols?
From the 1950s – 1990s, Neyland Stadium housed University of Tennessee’s School of Anthropology, the FBI’s leading forensic researcher of bones. They were removed in the 1990s, but the research facility remains.
And…it sat on top of over 1,000 dead bodies! “Who knew?”
In 2002-2004, the Vols won 9 games or more. Then came graveyard #2. From 2004-2020, the Vols haven’t had three consecutive 9-win seasons…until now.
Vols’ HC Josh Heupel (2022-present), has won at least 9 or more, in all 3 seasons.
Even with QBs like Peyton Manning and Tee Martin, Tennessee has prided itself on clock-controlling, run-oriented offenses. That identity has remained, although the game has changed over the last 30 years.
“Rocky Top” was written in 1967 by Gatlinburg’s Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. They told the story of Tennesseans wanting their old lives back, where moonshine stills and rum-runners ruled the day.
“….Good ole Rocky Top” was gonna have to change its tune.
Heupel gassed up the Vols offense. In 2021 and 2022, the Vols’ scoring offense finished #7 and #1 respectively, while finishing top 3 in offensive plays/game all 3 years.
I could say something like… “This year’s team has many new faces…” but that’s just the way it is in the transfer portal era.
QB Nico Lamaleava, excels with his arm and his legs. In his only 2023 start, he threw for 3 TDs and ran for 2 in the Vols’ 35-0 Citrus Bowl rout over historically defensively stout Iowa. Not saying he’s Jalin Daniels status, but picture the style.
The WR core boasts a formidable 3-man core. Last year’s top WR Squirrel White brings back his 2023 803 yards and 67 catches. Add 2023 USC transfer Bru McCoy, injured after only 5 games last year and new Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell. Sophomore Ethan Davis and Notre Dame transfer Holden Staes add depth.
Leading 2023 RB Jalen Wright is in the NFL but returning #2 man Dylan Simpson returns his team-leading 7 TDs.
The offensive line could be one of the SEC’s top 2 or 3. Replacing outgoing Kentucky transfer Gerald Mincey is incoming LSU transfer Lance Heard, who many NFL scouts label “special upside.” The interior could be one of the nation’s best in Cooper Mays and Javontez Spraggins.
For all the offensive talk, it’s the defense that could lead these Vols to a playoff spot. It’s difficult to grade them based off scoring and yardage, because of how fast the offense runs.
Having said that, they finished 2023 #8 in sacks and #4 in TFL. DE James Pearce, Jr returns after a top 15 NFL Draft grade. The tackles are led by Omari Thomas, Bryson Eason and Omarr Norman-Lott.
2022 BYU transfer LB Keenan Pili sat out most of 2023, after a whopping 190 tackles in 2022.
2023 leading tackler Elijah Herring transferred to Memphis. Arion Carter and Kalib Perry will replace 2nd leading tackler and current NFLer Aaron Beasley.
The secondary returns none, but transfer portal to the rescue. Oregon State’s Jermod McCoy and MTSU’s Jakobe Thomas are respective 2023 all-conference players.
The Bottom Line…I really think Tennessee will be one of those fringe teams that will be lobbying their expanded playoff qualifications.
As far as SEC schedules go, they catch several breaks. Two games will probably be losses, @ UGA and Oklahoma.
Believe it or not, Sept. 7 in Charlotte, against NC State is their biggest game. If they win, there’s a path. If not, that path is pummeled. Most believe there will be 3 SEC teams, but I believe there will be a push for four.
“Good ole Rocky Top,” or not….we’ll soon find out whether Vol Nation is singing it full of that happy rum, or buried under Neyland after way too much sipping.
Rocky Top
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For a brief, fleeting, shining moment in 2022, the Tennessee Volunteers were on top of the world.
They were undefeated and had big wins over LSU and Alabama. They were the #1 team according to the CFB Championship committee.
Their reign of the top spot in college football lasted less than a week.
All in all, the ’22 season set expectations pretty high for the ’23 season, and it’s probably going to fall short.
Couple that with the NCAA sanctions after the Jeremy Pruitt debacle and it looks like it might be a tough road ahead for the Volunteers.
With Hendon Hooker off to the NFL as part of what I believe will be one of the most underwhelming QB classes of the last 20 years (certain exceptions apply), the QB position for the upcoming campaign is quite possibly the biggest question mark of the season.
Joe Milton gets handed the keys to the offense after handing them off to Hooker due to injury in 2021. He has the physical tools and intangibles, but if the sixth-year signal caller has a hard time firing up the offense, don’t be surprised if there are calls for Nico Iamaleava between non-stop choruses of Rocky Top. The 6-6, 205-pound SoCal product comes as touted as they come.
Backs and receivers should be fine as well. Jaylen Wright is back to try to improve over his 875-yard campaign from last year, and Samson and Small fill out the rotation.
Bru McCoy and Ramel Keyton will more than likely be the leading receivers, but I’m rooting for the Key and Peele favorite name on the squad; Squirrel White. How can you not root for a kid with that name?
The problems are going to come from the O-Line and defensive backfield.
Josh Heupel’s staff is moving many of last year’s linemen around, and the secondary lost a lot of talent in the offseason.
Both are problematic and will probably wind up being the reasons why this year’s orange & white winds up underwhelming Rocky Top Nation.
Here’s how I see the week-to-week breaking down.
WEEK 1 – Vs. VIRGINIA (at Nashville) – Heupel’s squad has done well in national spotlight games not held in Athens. Expect similar results against the Cavaliers. Vols start with a W, 28-13.
WEEK 2 – vs. AUSTIN PEAY – At this point of the season, I’m running out of witticisms for cupcake games. Just be confident in UT walloping AP bigly, we’ll say 49-9.
WEEK 3 – @ FLORIDA – Here’s where it gets ugly. Tennessee hasn’t won in The Swamp in 20 years. Make it 21 in a row for the Gators, 24-14.
WEEK 4 – vs. UTSA – See the Austin Peay comment. Another whuppin’ handed out by the orange & white, 45-13.
WEEK 5 – vs. SOUTH CAROLINA – I could see this one going either way to be honest, but I think Beamer Ball takes one in a high-scoring matchup. Vols fall in OT 41-38.
WEEK 6 – vs. TEXAS A&M – I have just as much faith in Beamer Ball as I do mistrust of horse-tranquilizer poster boy Jimbo Fisher. The much heralded breakthrough year for the Aggies takes a setback with a 31-21 Tennessee victory.
WEEK 7 – @ ALABAMA – I REALLY want to pick UT to make it two in a row against Saban here, but I just can’t. Check back with me after the Florida game & I may change my mind. Vols fall 35-17.
WEEK 8 – @ KENTUCKY – This is where the wheels really come off the season. Cats let ‘er rip at home and send Heupel and company back to Knoxville with a 38-13 embarrassment.
WEEK 9 – vs. UCONN – Nothing cures a two game losing streak quite like an AAC matchup. A much needed win for the Vols, 35-10.
WEEK 10 – @ MISSOURI – The midwestern Tigers put up a fight, but UT pulls it out, 24-17.
WEEK 11 – vs. GEORGIA – If I get two out of the four losses wrong and Rocky Top comes into this still in contention for second in the East, this might be a signature win for the Vols. I don’t think I will, though. The back-to-back champs take it easily 42-21.
WEEK 12 – vs. VANDERBILT – At least they end the year against Vandy, and Vandy is still Vandy. UT wraps up the season with another W, 35-18.
FINAL PREDICTION: 7-5, 4th place in SEC East.
Climbing Rocky Top
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Tennessee Volunteer fans probably feel like they’re in a bit of a time vortex right now.
While last years’ initial campaign from new head coach Josh Heupel gave the Vols as much hope as you could expect from a first-year-of-a-rebuild season, the spectres of Jeremy & Casey Pruitt and their 18 Level I NCAA allegations still hang in the shadowy corners of Neyland.
Let’s focus on the positives here, though. In his first year as head coach, Heupel did a yeoman job of changing the atmosphere & attitude around the football program, and his players on the field responded.
The 2021 Vols produced 39.3 PPG and set several single-season program records, including total yards, points, and TDs. This up-tempo production can only go up this year, considering the rapport that QB Hendon Hooker and WR Cedric Tillman developed last year.
Hooker, after taking over the starting job early in the season, threw for 31 TDs and ran for another 5, all while limiting himself to 3 interceptions. Don’t be surprised if he gets some fringe Heisman consideration.
The defensive side of the ball is where the second-year coach is really going to need to work some magic. The Vols defense underperformed last year, sometimes considerably. If they are going to have even an outside chance at knocking off some of the (pardon the pun) “big dawgs” in the SEC, they’ll need to improve their third down efficiency, especially through the air.
Here’s how you can expect the Vols season to pan out.
WEEK 1 – vs. Ball State – Like any good SEC team not named Georgia, the season starts with a cupcake. Easy win against the Cardinals, 31-14.
WEEK 2 – @Pittsburgh – Pitt is in a bit of a resurgence, so this isn’t an idea time for Tennessee to come calling. I wouldn’t be surprised they pull an upset, but I wouldn’t bet on one either. Vols fall 28-10.
WEEK 3 – vs. Akron – Another lightweight, another W for Big Orange. Zips get zapped, 41-7.
WEEK 4 – vs. Florida – The Gators ran away in the second half last year, smashing UT 38-14. Vols get their revenge & open the SEC slate with a victory 31-24.
WEEK 5 – @LSU – Death Valley is a tough place to play, even on a bad year. Brian Kelly’s antics (and fake accent) might distract, but not enough to make a difference this year. Tigers win big, 49-17.
WEEK 6 – vs. Alabama – Someday, this rivalry will be competitive again. Today, however, is not that day. Bama does Bama stuff in a 55-14 trouncing.
WEEK 7 – vs. Tennessee – Martin – Got to pad those stats somewhere in the season. This is the week to do so. UT over UT-M, 45-20.
WEEK 8 – vs. Kentucky – This one will be closer than most match ups for the Vols this year. Kentucky will be hard pressed to match the momentum they built last year. Give it to UT, 28-24.
WEEK 9 – @Georgia – It seems to be fashionable to pick this as a trap game. I’ve never in my life been accused of being fashionable. Dawgs on top, 42-20.
WEEK 10 – vs. Missouri – Someone explain to me again why a midwestern team like Mizzou is in the Southeastern Conference? Tennessee easily notches another win, 28-10.
WEEK 11 – @South Carolina – Shane Beamer showed a lot of the same promise that Heupel did last year. It’ll be interesting to see which one is still around in five years. Beamer ball will take a close one at the horseshoe, 17-14.
WEEK 12 – @Vanderbilt – Nothing like an easy win for a team waiting on a call from the Belk Bowl. Vols wrap up the season with a 38-6 win.
FINAL PREDICTION – UT goes 7-5 for the season, 4th place in the SEC East, mid-level bowl berth.
Rocky Bottom
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
To say the Tennessee Volunteer football program has struggled recently is being kind. The program is downright awful at the moment.
Tennessee has not won the SEC East since 2007, and have not won an SEC Title since 1998. Since 2007, Florida and Georgia have won the SEC East five times each, Missouri twice, and South Carolina once.
Since 2007, Tennessee has gone through five head football coaches. Jeremy Pruitt was hired in 2018 and fired in 2020 and that experiment was a disaster.
Pruitt was fired for cause due to committing serious NCAA recruiting violations. The NCAA is in a current investigation of the Tennessee. Major NCAA sanctions are looming over the horizon. Nine other coaches and staff were fired as well after the internal investigation.
On the local front former Brunswick High School head football coach Larry Harold was one of the nine terminated after the Tennessee internal investigation.
Rumors of cash being handed out to players and recruits in fast food bags are some of the things you hear being tossed around in connection to the investigation.
Former head coach and AD Philip Fulmer was forced to resign as Athletic Director over the internal investigation and was not allowed to take part in the hiring of Pruitt’s replacement.
I know Tennessee legend Johnny Majors had to be smiling down from heaven on that one after then offensive coordinator Fulmer conspired to have Majors fired as head coach of the Vols back in 1992. Karma has no menu. You get served what you deserve eventually.
Josh Heupel was hired away from Central Florida to clean up the mess of a rotten internal football culture at Tennessee. Heupel will need time to rebuild this program.
The transfer portal has gutted the depth of the program. Hendon Hooker transferred in from Virginia Tech and he and Harrison Bailey look to compete for the starting QB job. Joe Milton also transferred from Michigan and could also compete for the QB job.
Cade Mays leads an offensive line that was brutal in pass protection in 2020. Heupel runs a pass happy offense so pass protection is the key.
On defense the talent at LB transferred. The defensive talent level is lacking. Heupel must develop a defense at Tennessee, which could be a major challenge as his defensive units at UCF ranked among the worst in the nation. Poor defensive play will get you fired in the SEC.
The rebuild at Tennessee won’t be easy at all with Alabama and Georgia recruiting at elite levels and taking top Tennessee high school talent annually. Tennessee must recruit Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia well to return to glory.
It may take a decade after looming NCAA sanctions wear off for Vol fans to get back if ever to the standard they were used to in the 1990’s.
Schedule/My Predictions: Projected Wins: Bowling Green, Tennessee Tech, South Carolina, South Alabama, Vanderbilt.
Projected Losses: Pittsburgh, Florida, Missouri, Ole Miss, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia
Projected record 5-7 and 2-6 in the SEC.
Tennessee football seasons hinge on outcomes of the Alabama, Florida and Georgia games.
Tennessee records against those three this century:
Alabama: 5-16 and currently on a 14-game losing streak.
Florida: 4-17 and a current 4 game losing streak
Georgia: 6-15 and a current 4 game losing streak
Combined: 15-48
Since Tennessee’s last SEC Championship game appearance in 2007 the Vols are 36-70 in SEC play.
Tennessee has gone from one of the best programs in the conference to one of the worst in 13 years.
It’s not going to get better overnight Tennessee fans. The worst still may be yet to come once the NCAA gets finished with you.
Dumpster fire
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As you look around the Southern college football landscape you see the Alabama, Clemson, Florida, and Georgia’s of the world playing a very good brand of football, but you can also look around and see some programs not performing very well.
We have a few programs in our geographical region that currently look like dumpster fires. Let’s take a look at my top five programs that have fallen on hard times.
- Georgia Tech: The Jackets were number one on this list two years ago. Now they are about remove themselves from lists like this. Georgia Tech is doing the right things to not be included on lists like this much longer.
Teams 1-4 on this list need to follow the Jacket blueprint. The Jackets land here as a motivational tool for 2021.
- Florida State: My how the mighty have fallen. This once proud football program has sunk to an all-time low.
Gone are the days of ruling the ACC with an iron fist, and now we see FSU backing out of playing home games against Clemson and using Covid-19 as an excuse after Clemson had already made the trip.
FSU used to be a recruiting machine and now they fight Georgia Southern and South Alabama for 3-star athletes.
FSU will be back eventually but how in the hell should a program of this magnitude ever appear on a list like this? It cost Clemson $250K to travel to Tallahassee for a pre-game meal, but they got to see a top five dumpster fire in person.
- South Carolina: Are you starting to see a pattern of the SEC East yet?
South Carolina is a State with good high school football, Columbia is 80 miles from Charlotte and less than 3 hours from Atlanta. The recruiting base is there.
South Carolina’s biggest problem is that they are Clemson’s little brother and they can’t shake that label.
You mention that to the fan base and they get fighting mad. How can Clemson be so good and South Carolina be so bad currently? I just don’t get it and many football observers in the south don’t either.
Will Shane Beamer fix this dumpster fire?
- Vanderbilt: Vandy has never been very good in football. We all understand that the academic prestige of Vanderbilt presents some competitive challenges for this fine University.
Derek Mason has been fired and been replaced by Clark Lea from Notre Dame.
Vandy needs to get back to work of becoming a competitive football team. The Commodores did not win a football game in 2020, and decided they were just not going to show up and play Georgia in their final game of the season. That mentality alone has to go and makes Vandy a dumpster fire.
- Tennessee: How did we get here Vol fans? You are the biggest dumpster fire in college football currently. A ten-year-old boy and Tennessee fan asked his father “What is it like to beat Alabama dad?” Dad answered “I don’t know son we are Vol fans.”
Tennessee just suffered through the worst decade of football in its proud history. Six head coaches in 12 years.
Now apparently Tennessee has as many as 30 level 1 and level 2 major recruiting violations. Rumors of giving away cash in McDonald’s bags and so on.
Due to NCAA sanctions forthcoming it may be 2025-26 until Tennessee has a full complement of scholarships to offer (they could lose up to 30 over next 4 years).
This program is about to be on life support. Tennessee is having a mass exodus via the transfer portal.
Memphis is the best college football program in the State of Tennessee right now.
Damn, just damn, Big Orange nation you are the biggest dumpster fire in all of college football.
