KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — With Tennessee moving on from quarterback Nico Iamaleava, some may be wondering how name image and likeness deals are impacting college sports. In this week’s Ask Isaacs, 6 News’ Lori Tucker and Attorney Greg Isaacs discuss how NIL has developed in Tennessee.
On Wednesday, Iamaleava entered the NCAA transfer portal just days after Tennessee coach Josh Heupel shared that the team was moving on from the redshirt freshmen. Reports said Iamaleava missing meetings and practice the day before the Vols’ Orange and White game drove the decision. At the time, Iamaleava had been in the middle of negotiating a new NIL deal.
Iamaleava was recruited by Tennessee in 2022 as one of the team’s most highly-touted recruits in years. At the time, he was rated as the second best prospect in the country by Rivals, and the fifth highest prospected to commit to Tennessee is school history, according to 247 Sports. The Isaacs Law Firm explains that while still in High School, Iamaleava signed an NIL contract with Spyre Sports worth approximately $8 million over four years.
In January 2024, news broke that Tennessee and other universities were under a potential NCAA investigation for NIL violations in multiple sports. Athletics Director Danny White accused the NCAA of leaking information on the investigation to the media, adding that the when NCAA investigators did not find a NIL violation after reviewing “thousands of Tennessee coach and personnel phone records,” the organization “moved the goalpost to fit a predetermined outcome.”
The investigation also led a lawsuit against the NCAA from Tennessee and Virginia’s Attorneys General over NIL recruiting rules. Ultimately, that lawsuit was settled in January 2025, with Tennessee AG Jonathan Skrmetti saying the settlement would lay the groundwork for a “permanent solution.
According to the Isaacs Law Firm, there are currently no blanket restrictions on NIL agreements in college athletics, and the NCAA is enjoined from enforcing any rules regarding NIL because of the State of Tennessee’s lawsuit. Some other states, however, do have laws regarding NIL.
Until May 2024, Tennessee institutions were not allowed to pay players to attend their institutions, but a rule change made it to where now, institutions are only prohibited from unduly restricting an athlete’s ability to earn compensation.
If you have a legal question, send it to [email protected]. To watch full episodes of Ask Isaacs, click here.
WATE’s Lori Tucker and Attorney Greg Isaacs answer your legal questions from the WATE Alert Desk on Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. and on WATE Channel 6 at 5:30 p.m.
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