Can Tennessee Take Back Nico Iamaleava?

Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee - © Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There have been so many rule changes in college football that it’s hard to keep up with them all. Did they add a take-backs policy in the transfer portal? Can they? It’s only the right thing to do. Nico Iamaleava deserves to receive some redemption at Tennessee.

We get it. Things get messy in the NIL world. Nico quarterbacked Tennessee to a College Football Playoff berth. He’s got a big family. One could understand why he might ask Josh Heupel for some additional walking-around money. He deserved it.

Unfortunately, it appears that the message was not correctly delivered, but no relationship should sour over a simple negotiation. The Bible says, Forgiveness is next to Godliness. Tennessee needs to be Godly and take Nico back.

It’s been a rough few months for Iamaleava on the West Coast. Like a dog with a neglectful owner, he’s been abused and abandoned by DeShaun Foster.

Through three games, Iamaleava has completed 63.9% of his passes for 608 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. That’s the kind of production Tennessee needs from its quarterback.

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Has he won a game for UCLA? No. Should he have won a game for UCLA? No. How can you expect a Big Ten team to beat a program with the pedigree and prestige that Dan Mullen has built in a few months in Las Vegas? That’s just asking too much of the former five-star quarterback. No, Jason Eck didn’t have one when New Mexico lit up the Bruins in a 35-10 win, but you can’t put the blame on Nico! After all, he did complete a 32-yard pass in the game. That should be more than enough to get you a win against a team that plays in a conference, which one, I don’t know.

The timing is perfect for this transfer portal take-back. The Vols just lost at home in front of a sold-out crowd. Joey Aguilar threw two interceptions in the devastating defeat. That should be unacceptable for Tennessee fans. If you can’t win games with a guy who threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns, then you need to find a new one.

Folks on Rocky Top were enraged when Nico Iamaleava left Tennessee this spring. Time heals all wounds. It’s time to break out the Band-Aids and bring Nico home to create the ultimate feel-good story in college football.

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