The First College Football Holdout?

[tapeANaspirin2it]

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Tenn QB is holding out for more money. Tenn has such a QB friendly system, Nico better not hold out too long or they might have a backup who looks good in practice.

 

[Badcat]

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Tenn QB is holding out for more money. Tenn has such a QB friendly system, Nico better not hold out too long or they might have a backup who looks good in practice.

College football was my only outlet for pure football, the NFL has been ****** up for several decades. The NCAA is now ruining the one place where sportsmanship, tradition, and love of game used to exist. I guess I'm back to Friday night lights.

 

[Fiji Mariner]

Come on down to Athens Nico
We’ll pay ya

 

[WindyCitySteel]

I mean, when your QB is named Imma Leave, maybe you should have been better prepared...

 

[KentuckySteeler]

Disgraceful. College sports is dead and the Steelers have three clowns running things. Football is a mess.

 

[tapeANaspirin2it]

Good for Tenn. I think he sucks anyway. Big arm and nothing else.

They say that spring games might go away. Why have a spring game where other schools can essentially scout your team then offer your #2 Rb or QB some money to leave?

They need to get some rules on this because this system isn't working.

It will be interesting to see where Nico ends up.

 

[stillerfaninfl]

Good for Tenn. I think he sucks anyway. Big arm and nothing else.

They say that spring games might go away. Why have a spring game where other schools can essentially scout your team then offer your #2 Rb or QB some money to leave?

They need to get some rules on this because this system isn't working.

It will be interesting to see where Nico ends up.

 

[stillerfaninfl]

Good for Tenn. I think he sucks anyway. Big arm and nothing else.

They say that spring games might go away. Why have a spring game where other schools can essentially scout your team then offer your #2 Rb or QB some money to leave?

They need to get some rules on this because this system isn't working.

It will be interesting to see where Nico ends up.

Yes...good for Tennessee. If an option, take back any scholarship $ and boot his ***. If not, kick him down to 3rd or 4th string...as low as you can go. See how his draft value goes when he ain't playing. If he jumps ship, good for him, but whoever would be stupid enuf to pick him up gets what they deserve. F'in diva!

 

[Confluence]

Nico Iamalookingforanewsugardaddy

 

[SteelerFan448]

College football is slowly becoming a mess. Also, this is one of the top QBs in the much heralded 2026 draft class...

 

[tapeANaspirin2it]

Reports are the Oregon coach Dan Lanning tipped off Tenn that Nico was shopping himself around.

The funny thing is Tenn fans are probably bashing Nico and calling him a sellout, meanwhile Tenn is probably actively trying to poach a QB from another team and if they bring in a new QB, he'll be cheered as a hero.

Serious question but why can't a kid switch teams mid season? Why not? It seems there's nobody willing to enforce any rules.

It's good this happened so publicly. Maybe this will be a first step in getting some kind of rules. I think what will happen is kids will start signing contracts so they are committed for X years. This protects the player too so they don't get tossed aside. I also think that small schools will have buyouts in their contract that the big school must pay.

This is why Saban retired. He wanted no part of trying to recruit his own players every year. I mean he only wanted to have to pay high school kids once.

 

[WindyCitySteel]

Reports are the Oregon coach Dan Lanning tipped off Tenn that Nico was shopping himself around.

The funny thing is Tenn fans are probably bashing Nico and calling him a sellout, meanwhile Tenn is probably actively trying to poach a QB from another team and if they bring in a new QB, he'll be cheered as a hero.

Serious question but why can't a kid switch teams mid season? Why not? It seems there's nobody willing to enforce any rules.

It's good this happened so publicly. Maybe this will be a first step in getting some kind of rules. I think what will happen is kids will start signing contracts so they are committed for X years. This protects the player too so they don't get tossed aside. I also think that small schools will have buyouts in their contract that the big school must pay.

This is why Saban retired. He wanted no part of trying to recruit his own players every year. I mean he only wanted to have to pay high school kids once.

Saban didn’t want a free market, he and the other big schools were paying under the table for decades, those days are gone.

 

[JMM]

College football was my only outlet for pure football, the NFL has been ****** up for several decades. The NCAA is now ruining the one place where sportsmanship, tradition, and love of game used to exist. I guess I'm back to Friday night lights.

Totally agree, BC

 

[topseed]

Yes...good for Tennessee. If an option, take back any scholarship $ and boot his ***. If not, kick him down to 3rd or 4th string...as low as you can go. See how his draft value goes when he ain't playing. If he jumps ship, good for him, but whoever would be stupid enuf to pick him up gets what they deserve. F'in diva!

Nico is not going back to Tennessee. Unfortunately, some school desperate for a QB will pay him. Maybe not what his agent is asking for, but more than what the Vols were giving him.

 

[Badcat]

Nico is not going back to Tennessee. Unfortunately, some school desperate for a QB will pay him. Maybe not what his agent is asking for, but more than what the Vols were giving him.

rumors are that he wanted 4M to play next season. That is ludicrous for a kid who wasn't all that good.

 

[insaniti]

Nico is not going back to Tennessee. Unfortunately, some school desperate for a QB will pay him. Maybe not what his agent is asking for, but more than what the Vols were giving him.

If Colleges were smart, they wouldn't sign him and send a clear message about trying to hold out, or undermine the system that was brought in to give these athletes a piece of the pie. I think the fact that the Oregon coach is the one that tipped Tenn off that he was shopping himself to other schools is a big deal.

The NIL has already killed the Cinderella stories for March Madness, it's just gonna top 10 teams in the final four from here on out...deepest pockets wins. They need to do something to keep this kind of stuff from becoming the norm.

 

[madinsomniac]

See, kids always got paid to play in college... it was thoroughly corrupt even below division 1a.. the difference was that then it was all hidden so people could lie to themselves about their team's altruistic morals, and that the shady system kept things cost controlled and player movement virtually impossible...

Good luck with all the BS in the sunshine... its gonna get really really stupid till they just make a real minor league system and stop all this nonsence one way or another

 

[Superman]

Reports are the Oregon coach Dan Lanning tipped off Tenn that Nico was shopping himself around.

The funny thing is Tenn fans are probably bashing Nico and calling him a sellout, meanwhile Tenn is probably actively trying to poach a QB from another team and if they bring in a new QB, he'll be cheered as a hero.

Serious question but why can't a kid switch teams mid season? Why not? It seems there's nobody willing to enforce any rules.

It's good this happened so publicly. Maybe this will be a first step in getting some kind of rules. I think what will happen is kids will start signing contracts so they are committed for X years. This protects the player too so they don't get tossed aside. I also think that small schools will have buyouts in their contract that the big school must pay.

This is why Saban retired. He wanted no part of trying to recruit his own players every year. I mean he only wanted to have to pay high school kids once.

no, the irony is that Nico is now considering transferring to ... Oregon.

your assessment of Nico is incorrect. He's good. Sometimes really good. he was developing and was on a huge upswing. He's getting bashed on social media, and rightfully so. He, like @Badcat said, was asking for $4 mil per. An increase from the $1.8 mil he was already paid. And, like you said, for essentially doing what is asked in Heupel's QB friendly offense. He's been bandied about as one of the top 4-5 QBs in the next draft. With this move, he's probably finding himself at the bottom of that 4-5, well behind Arch Manning. I'd be hesitant to select him in the 2026 draft just for the belief that once that rookie contract is up, he may bolt for more money.

 

[Superman]

 

[insaniti]

I'm reading that a lot of the situation is because of the father. And that Nico just does what his dad says. Then there's also reports that the agent took it further, and behind the fathers back and overplayed his hand, thus forcing Nic (the father) to make the decision for Nico to skip practices, which ultimately lead the Tenn cutting ties. IF TRUE, I don't think these parents really understand the damage they are doing to the future of their kids when they do things like this.

Either way, it's looking pretty bad for Nico, in terms of his image, and in terms of any teams being interested.

 

[Troglodyte]

Didn’t UNLV have a QB quit the team last year because someone reneged on a NIL deal?

 

[Badcat]

no, the irony is that Nico is now considering transferring to ... Oregon.

your assessment of Nico is incorrect. He's good. Sometimes really good. he was developing and was on a huge upswing. He's getting bashed on social media, and rightfully so. He, like @Badcat said, was asking for $4 mil per. An increase from the $1.8 mil he was already paid. And, like you said, for essentially doing what is asked in Heupel's QB friendly offense. He's been bandied about as one of the top 4-5 QBs in the next draft. With this move, he's probably finding himself at the bottom of that 4-5, well behind Arch Manning. I'd be hesitant to select him in the 2026 draft just for the belief that once that rookie contract is up, he may bolt for more money.

I believe they are grading this kid too high. 6 of 13 games didn't crack 200 yards passing and he only eclipsed 300 yards once against UT Chattanooga. One game doesn't make a QB but that OSU game going 14 of 31 for 104yds, woof! I also believe that Drew Allar is graded too high as well. He's putting together pieces of his game and we'll see what he does his senior year now that he has weapons at WR.

 

[Drink IRON City]

If Colleges were smart, they wouldn't sign him and send a clear message about trying to hold out, or undermine the system that was brought in to give these athletes a piece of the pie. I think the fact that the Oregon coach is the one that tipped Tenn off that he was shopping himself to other schools is a big deal.

The NIL has already killed the Cinderella stories for March Madness, it's just gonna top 10 teams in the final four from here on out...deepest pockets wins. They need to do something to keep this kind of stuff from becoming the norm.

Unfortunately it all comes down to the almighty dollar. These younger athletes see a $$$$ signs of way more than they have ever seen in their lives, and want to capitalize on it. There is an uncertainty of wether they make the NFL or not as a lot could happen between now and then.

I don’t know the answer, but maybe a limited transfer type thing. Maybe a 2-portal per player stipulated that there must be 2 years between transfers? Also, mandatory Bowl participation should come into play as well.

I don’t know the sure-fire fix, but something needs to be ironed out and two big concerns are transfers / bowl play.



Salute the nation

 

[Superman]

I believe they are grading this kid too high. 6 of 13 games didn't crack 200 yards passing and he only eclipsed 300 yards once against UT Chattanooga. One game doesn't make a QB but that OSU game going 14 of 31 for 104yds, woof! I also believe that Drew Allar is graded too high as well. He's putting together pieces of his game and we'll see what he does his senior year now that he has weapons at WR.

 

[WindyCitySteel]

I believe they are grading this kid too high. 6 of 13 games didn't crack 200 yards passing and he only eclipsed 300 yards once against UT Chattanooga. One game doesn't make a QB but that OSU game going 14 of 31 for 104yds, woof! I also believe that Drew Allar is graded too high as well. He's putting together pieces of his game and we'll see what he does his senior year now that he has weapons at WR.

And Arch is not likely coming out. That “put all your QB eggs in the 2026 draft basket” strategy many Steeler fans are latching onto doesn’t look too good right now.