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Is Tennessee

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 his football career plays out. As Iamaleava prepares to enter the transfer portal amid a sudden public breakup with Tennessee about name, […]

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2 months ago

April 12, 2025

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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 his football career plays out. As Iamaleava prepares to enter the transfer portal amid a sudden 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 his value.

But his public breakup with Tennessee has given some leverage back to the schools. Had Tennessee and its collective blinked, more stars elsewhere might’ve started public holdouts. Instead, Vols fans have backed coach Josh Heupel, and players probably know the public won’t be on their side.

Josh Heupel was the first person off the team buses. Got a massive cheer from the fans.

— David Ubben (@davidubben) April 12, 2025

It started in 2022, when The Athletic first reported an $8 million multi-year contract for a football recruit who later became known to be Iamaleava. It was one of the first sets of public NIL numbers, a jaw-dropping sum for someone who hadn’t played a down of college football. When the NCAA eventually began looking into it, the state of Tennessee’s attorney general sued the organization last year, leading to an injunction and settlement that allows collectives and boosters to negotiate NIL before players enroll.

Both of those situations almost certainly led to millions of dollars more going to players. The public contract leak in 2022 reset the market for active players and recruits. The AG’s lawsuit opened the door to more direct NIL conversations with recruits. That is part of Iamaleava’s legacy.

But so is how it all appears to have ended in Knoxville.

The first thing to know in any negotiation is your leverage, and Iamaleava’s team appears to have overplayed its hand this time. He has been a good quarterback at UT, taking the Vols to the College Football Playoff last year, but he has not been a great quarterback. Eleven of his 19 touchdown passes last season came against Chattanooga, UTEP and Vanderbilt. He had three more years of eligibility and plenty of time to improve. Enough to increase his pay from $2.2 million next year to $4 million, as people briefed on the situation told The Athletic? It would appear not, at least not from Tennessee’s perspective.

When it all leaked, first at On3, and he skipped practice, Iamaleava was simply not good enough yet to have the Vols public in his corner.

That’s where leverage has swung back to the schools. Star players renegotiate their NIL deals all the time. Some stay, and some leave. But it doesn’t usually come out until it’s over. This leaked before spring practice ended, creating what essentially became a brief public holdout and a chance for Tennessee to look firm.

Not many college players would be able to hold out publicly, keep the fans on their side and have enough leverage. Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith might be one, as a potentially generational prospect. Florida quarterback DJ Lagway might be another, given his upside and the pressure on his coach. But the list is not long.

“I’m not as familiar with the situation, but if you started holding out, you just wouldn’t be on the team anymore,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee told reporters after a practice on Friday. “We’re not doing that. You’re either on the team or you’re not.”

NFL holdouts with star players happen all the time, and fans support the players if they’re good enough. Cincinnati Bengals fans wanted the team to give star wide receiver J’Marr Chase his bag, even though the NFL has a salary cap.

Most college football fans don’t have that cultural mindset yet. Many fans, like coaches, say they’re happy players are finally getting paid. But the mood wobbles a bit when that money gets into the millions or players leave to take more money elsewhere.

Iamaleava was already one of the highest-paid players on his team, if not the highest. His initial $8 million deal was cheered by Vols fans. So was the AG’s attack on the NCAA for him. Let Tennessee’s collective spend what it wants! But as soon as it wasn’t enough for Iamaleava, fans turned.

That is why the whole idea of calling this “NIL” remains farcical. The millions and millions spent on players for NIL come from fans who want victories, rather than some advertising or charity work.

College football is a transient sport with players spending a short time on campus. Fans still root for the team more than a player. It’s why the NCAA was able to keep up amateurism for so long. It’s why the unionization of players is hard. Fans, more often than not, will show up on Saturdays no matter who’s on the field.

That reminder is the message coming out of Iamaleava’s impending divorce from Tennessee.

The story is far from over. Perhaps Iamaleava finds a new home and continues to succeed, for whatever amount of money the market determines 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, and the fans support it.

Players are worth what someone is willing to pay them. That’s basic business. The player empowerment era of sports was boosted in the college football ranks because Iamaleava and his family knew that. But this breakup is a reminder that it only goes so far.

(Photo of Josh Heupel: Caitie McMekin / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

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College Football Hall of Fame adjusts eligibility criteria to induct Mike Leach

Legendary coach Mike Leach tragically passed away at the age of 61 back in 2022, his death coming ahead of Mississippi State’s appearance in the ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Illinois. That game, won by the Bulldogs with interim coach Zach Arnett leading the team to a 19-10 victory in Leach’s honor, proved to be the difference […]

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35 minutes ago

May 30, 2025

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Legendary coach Mike Leach tragically passed away at the age of 61 back in 2022, his death coming ahead of Mississippi State’s appearance in the ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Illinois. That game, won by the Bulldogs with interim coach Zach Arnett leading the team to a 19-10 victory in Leach’s honor, proved to be the difference in his eligibility for the NFF College Football Hall of Fame.

Leach finished his career with a record of 158-106, good for a win rate of 59.8 percent. The cutoff for the Hall of Fame? 60 percent — one victory separating the Pirate from consideration.

That was the case, at least, leading to understandable outrage from the football community following his unexpected death. He may not have won a conference or regular season championship across stops at Texas Tech, Washington State or Mississippi State, but his status as an offensive mastermind and impact on the game popularizing the Air Raid alongside Hal Mumme — including a two-year stint at Kentucky from 1997-98 to help Tim Couch become the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft — made him more than deserving.

The College Football Hall of Fame obviously agrees, altering its eligibility requirements to lower the minimum win percentage to 59.5 percent, opening the door for Leach as a potential inductee.

“The NFF is committed to preserving the integrity and prestige of the NFF College Football Hall of Fame,” NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell said in a statement. “This adjustment reflects thoughtful dialogue with leaders across the sport and allows us to better recognize coaches whose contributions to the game extend beyond a narrow statistical threshold.”

Going into effect beginning with the 2027 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Ballot, coaches with win rates of 59.5 percent must have served as a head coach for a minimum of 10 seasons with at least 100 games and will be eligible for consideration three full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement if they are at least 70 years of age. Active coaches will be eligible upon reaching the age of 75.

In two seasons at Kentucky, Leach helped the Wildcats set six NCAA records, 41 Southeastern Conference records and 116 school records in 22 games. UK went 12-10 in that span while earning an Outback Bowl bid in 1998. From there, he became Bob Stoops’ first offensive coordinator at Oklahoma and the rest was history, getting his first head coaching shot at Texas Tech a year later in 2000.

Now, thanks to some eligibility adjustments, he’s on his way to the College Football Hall of Fame.

We’ll be calling it the Pirate Rule until further notice. Time for the late, great Mike Leach to receive the recognition he deserves in Atlanta in 2027.

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Could agents or NIL come to high school sports?

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – There’s a lot that high school athletes have to deal with: schoolwork, practice, maybe going after a college scholarship. And now with the changes to Rule 19, transferring to a school that offers better opportunities “If I’m a good athlete and I want to be a part of a winning […]

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2 hours ago

May 30, 2025

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – There’s a lot that high school athletes have to deal with: schoolwork, practice, maybe going after a college scholarship.

And now with the changes to Rule 19, transferring to a school that offers better opportunities

“If I’m a good athlete and I want to be a part of a winning team, I may be the best player in a local suburb, and I want to win,” says Kirk Butler, talent president for 90 Ninety One Sports Agency. “If I’m going to want to win, I may have to go to another high school to do so.”

RELATED: What is Rule 19?: A breakdown of Indiana’s new transfer rule for high school athletes

Butler is a high school sports agent that works with over 80 athletes across the country. He helps them connect with specialized trainers and interact with college coaches. Now, it’s also about connecting with high school coaches

“We can facilitate some of those connections and relationships,” Butler says. “We have a platform tool where an athlete at the high school level can upload videos and send them to prep schools, send them to colleges, send them to junior colleges, community colleges. Because they might not necessarily be able to reach a coach and say, ‘Hey, please take a look at my video.’”

With transferring comes questions about Name Image and Likeness payments. It’s not allowed right now in Indiana, but it could always change.

I asked the IHSAA’s commissioner on how they’re approaching this.

“Our philosophy is this: you can’t sell what you don’t own. You don’t own a school’s uniform. You don’t own their facility. You don’t own their name,” says IHSAA Commissioner Paul Neidig. “If a student wants to teach somebody how to shoot a basketball or hit a baseball, or a softball, with their own name and they do it on their own, that’s not necessarily something we’re going to get involved in in the future.”

RELATED: What impact could Indiana’s new transfer rule have on high school sports?

Academics sometimes feel lost in these conversations, but not for Butler.

“Having the trust in parents to say, ‘Hey listen, we know what your athlete wants,’” Butler explains. “But at the end of the day, the first word in that is student-athlete. I care about your grades first, athletics can go after.”

Because while high school athletes do have a lot to handle, school is the thing that makes everything else possible.

Refresher on Indiana’s Rule 19

Previously if a student transferred schools, they would have to sit out one calendar year and miss all three sports seasons.

Now for a first-time transfer, as long as the student isn’t a senior, they will be immediately eligible to play sports at their new school. Think of it like the transfer portal in college sports.

This rule goes into effect this Sunday, June 1, so we’ll be seeing the first students use it heading into next school year’s fall season.

There are still many moving parts within Rule 19. Our WNDU 16 Sports team will have more breakdowns and explainers throughout the week on WNDU 16 News Now and WNDU.com.

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Why does Tennessee softball wear blue? What to know about ‘Summitt Blue’ uniforms

Tennessee softball rallied after a Game 1 loss to Nebraska in the super regionals, winning Games 2 and 3 to advance to the Women’s College World Series. The No. 7 Lady Vols wore their all-blue uniforms for the series-clinching win on Sunday, setting up a first-round WCWS matchup with No. 2 Oklahoma. Tennessee might bring […]

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2 hours ago

May 30, 2025

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Tennessee softball rallied after a Game 1 loss to Nebraska in the super regionals, winning Games 2 and 3 to advance to the Women’s College World Series.

The No. 7 Lady Vols wore their all-blue uniforms for the series-clinching win on Sunday, setting up a first-round WCWS matchup with No. 2 Oklahoma. Tennessee might bring back the all-blue uniforms again in Oklahoma City, which might be unusual for some college softball fans not aware of the Lady Vols’ history.

WCWS bracket 2025: Full schedule, matchups for NCAA softball tournament

All of Tennessee’s women’s sports programs wear “Summitt Blue” uniforms in honor of Pat Summitt, the legendary Lady Vols basketball coach.

Here’s everything to know about Tennessee softball’s blue uniforms, and how they came about:

Why does Tennessee softball wear blue?

Tennessee softball started wearing blue jerseys in 2022, as part of the “Summitt Legacy” collection of uniforms for Vols women’s sports. Lady Vols soccer, volleyball, softball and basketball all have blue uniform options.

Lady Vols softball stepped it up in 2025, however, introducing a full blue uniform for the first time. Previously, the team wore white or orange pants with their blue jerseys.

The “Summitt Blue” collection launched in 2022 as part of the 50th anniversary of Title IX. It was then when Tennessee officially renamed the blue accents that are part of the school’s colors in honor of Summitt.

“Well, I think I finally got over the idea that we’d look like North Carolina if we wore all Summitt Blue,” Lady Vols softball coach Karen Weekly told the Knoxville News-Sentinel earlier this year. “The little touches to it, like the Summitt legacy patch on it, because Pat Summitt is a big part of our program, a big part of me and Ralph (Weekly). We wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t have the success we’ve had here if it wasn’t for Pat Summitt.”

Summitt coached at Tennessee from 1974-2012 and won eight national championships and went to 18 Final Fours. She was gifted the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama and was a part of the inaugural Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame class in 1999.

Summitt retired from coaching in 2012 after being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. She died in 2016 at the age of 64.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why does Tennessee wear blue? ‘Summitt Blue’ uniforms, explained

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Texas Tech softball’s WCWS game vs. Ole Miss in weather delay

Why Texas Tech could blow up the 2025 WCWS bracket The Oklahoman’s Jenni Carlson breaks down why Texas Tech and NiJaree Canady will be the team to break the Women’s College World Series bracket this year. OKLAHOMA CITY — The Texas Tech softball team’s Women’s College World Series game against Ole Miss has been affected […]

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3 hours ago

May 30, 2025

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OKLAHOMA CITY — The Texas Tech softball team’s Women’s College World Series game against Ole Miss has been affected by weather.

The Red Raiders and Rebels were scheduled to begin their first-round game at 6 p.m. CT, but rain began to fall around 4:30 p.m. as Oklahoma and Tennessee were wrapping up their game from the first session at Devon Park.

As of 5:50 p.m., fans were still lined up outside and the board in centerfield said lightning had been detected in the area. The Texas Tech softball X (formerly Twitter) account confirmed the game will not be starting at 6 p.m. though no other official announcement has been made.

The game is now scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m. Central.

Stay tuned for updates as we have them.

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Kickoff times announced for Kentucky’s first three games of the season

Pull up your Google Calendars because we’ve got kickoff times for Kentucky’s first three games of the season. The SEC dropped the entire TV schedule for the first three games of the 2025 campaign. Kentucky will open the season vs. Toledo at 12:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 30, on the SEC Network. The next […]

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3 hours ago

May 30, 2025

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Pull up your Google Calendars because we’ve got kickoff times for Kentucky’s first three games of the season.

The SEC dropped the entire TV schedule for the first three games of the 2025 campaign. Kentucky will open the season vs. Toledo at 12:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 30, on the SEC Network. The next week (September 6), the Cats will host Ole Miss at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. On September 13, Kentucky vs. Eastern Michigan will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The Cats have their first bye week of the season after that.

We’ll find the rest of the kickoff times out as the season goes on, typically two Mondays before each game. Here is the schedule as we know it:

Aug. 30, 12:45 PM: vs. Toledo | Kroger Field (Lexington, KY) | SEC Network
Sept 6, 3:30 PM: vs. Ole Miss | Kroger Field (Lexington, KY) | ABC
Sep. 13, 7:30 PM: vs. Eastern Michigan | Kroger Field (Lexington, KY) | ESPNU
Sept. 20: OPEN
Sept. 27: at South Carolina | Williams-Brice Stadium (Columbia, SC)
Oct. 4: at Georgia | Sanford Stadium (Athens, GA)
Oct. 11: OPEN
Oct. 18: vs. Texas | Kroger Field (Lexington, KY)
Oct. 25: vs. Tennessee | Kroger Field (Lexington, KY)
Nov. 1: at Auburn | Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn, AL)
Nov. 8: vs. Florida | Kroger Field (Lexington, KY)
Nov. 15: vs. Tennessee Tech | Kroger Field (Lexington, KY)
Nov. 22: at Vanderbilt | FirstBank Stadium (Nashville, TN)
Nov. 29: at Louisville | L&N Stadium (Louisville, KY)

And all of the SEC kickoff times for the first three weeks, along with a few big games later in the season, if you want to go ahead and plan your Saturdays.

Week 1: Aug. 28–31

Day	Date	Game	Network	Time (ET)
Thu	8/28/2025	Central Arkansas at Missouri	SEC Network	7:30 PM
Fri	8/29/2025	Auburn at Baylor	FOX	8:00 PM
Sat	8/30/2025	Texas at Ohio State	FOX	12:00 PM
Sat	8/30/2025	Syracuse vs. Tennessee (Atlanta)	ABC	12:00 PM
Sat	8/30/2025	Mississippi State at Southern Miss	ESPN	12:00 PM
Sat	8/30/2025	Toledo at Kentucky	SEC Network	12:45 PM
Sat	8/30/2025	Marshall at Georgia	ESPN	3:30 PM
Sat	8/30/2025	Alabama at Florida State	ABC	3:30 PM
Sat	8/30/2025	Alabama A&M at Arkansas	SEC Network	4:15 PM
Sat	8/30/2025	Illinois State at Oklahoma	ESPN+/SECN+	6:00 PM
Sat	8/30/2025	UTSA at Texas A&M	ESPN	7:00 PM
Sat	8/30/2025	LIU at Florida	ESPN+/SECN+	7:00 PM
Sat	8/30/2025	Charleston Southern at Vanderbilt	ESPN+/SECN+	7:00 PM
Sat	8/30/2025	LSU at Clemson	ABC	7:30 PM
Sat	8/30/2025	Georgia State at Ole Miss	SEC Network	7:45 PM
Sun	8/31/2025	Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina (Atlanta)	ESPN	3:00 PM

Week 2: Sept. 6

Day	Date	Game	Network	Time (ET)
Sat	9/6/2025	San Jose State at Texas	ABC or ESPN	12:00 PM
Sat	9/6/2025	Utah State at Texas A&M	SEC Network	12:45 PM
Sat	9/6/2025	Ole Miss at Kentucky	ABC	3:30 PM
Sat	9/6/2025	Kansas at Missouri	ESPN2	3:30 PM
Sat	9/6/2025	Austin Peay at Georgia	ESPN+/SECN+	3:30 PM
Sat	9/6/2025	USF at Florida	SEC Network	4:15 PM
Sat	9/6/2025	South Carolina State at South Carolina	ESPN+/SECN+	7:00 PM
Sat	9/6/2025	Michigan at Oklahoma	ABC	7:30 PM
Sat	9/6/2025	Vanderbilt at Virginia Tech	ACC Network	7:30 PM
Sat	9/6/2025	Arizona State at Mississippi State	ESPN2	7:30 PM
Sat	9/6/2025	Ball State at Auburn	ESPNU	7:30 PM
Sat	9/6/2025	Louisiana Tech at LSU	ESPN+/SECN+	7:30 PM
Sat	9/6/2025	UL Monroe at Alabama	SEC Network	7:45 PM
Sat	9/6/2025	Arkansas State vs. Arkansas (Little Rock)	ESPN+/SECN+	5:00 PM
Sat	9/6/2025	East Tennessee State at Tennessee	ESPN+/SECN+	3:30 PM

Week 3: Sept. 13

Day	Date	Game	Network	Time (ET)
Sat	9/13/2025	Wisconsin at Alabama	ABC or ESPN	12:00 PM
Sat	9/13/2025	Oklahoma at Temple	ESPN2	12:00 PM
Sat	9/13/2025	South Alabama at Auburn	SEC Network	12:45 PM
Sat	9/13/2025	Georgia at Tennessee	ABC	3:30 PM
Sat	9/13/2025	UTEP at Texas	SEC Network	4:15 PM
Sat	9/13/2025	Florida at LSU	ABC	7:30 PM
Sat	9/13/2025	Eastern Michigan at Kentucky	ESPNU	7:30 PM
Sat	9/13/2025	Texas A&M at Notre Dame	NBC	7:30 PM
Sat	9/13/2025	Arkansas at Ole Miss	ESPN or SEC Network	7:00 PM or 7:45 PM
Sat	9/13/2025	Vanderbilt at South Carolina	ESPN or SEC Network	7:00 PM or 7:45 PM
Sat	9/13/2025	Alcorn State at Mississippi State	ESPN+/SECN+	6:00 PM
Sat	9/13/2025	UL Lafayette at Missouri	ESPN+/SECN+	4:00 PM

Week 7: Oct. 11

Day	Date	Game	Network	Time (ET)
Sat	10/11/2025	Oklahoma vs. Texas (Dallas)	ABC or ESPN	3:30 PM

Week 10: Nov. 1

Day	Date	Game	Network	Time (ET)
Sat	11/1/2025	Georgia vs. Florida (Jacksonville)	ABC	3:30 PM

Week 14: Nov. 28

Day	Date	Game	Network	Time (ET)
Fri	11/28/2025	Ole Miss at Mississippi State	ABC or ESPN	12:00 PM
Fri	11/28/2025	Georgia at Georgia Tech	ABC	3:30 PM
Fri	11/28/2025	Texas A&M at Texas	ABC	7:30 PM

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NIL

Gators Incoming Point Guard Secures Historic Shoe Deal

Florida Gators guard Xaivian Lee on Thursday became the first NCAA NIL athlete to sign a shoe deal with an international brand, Nick De Paula reported on X. According to De Paula, Lee has signed a multi-year signature shoe deal with Serious Player Only to become the future face of the brand. This deal includes […]

Published

3 hours ago

May 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Florida Gators guard Xaivian Lee on Thursday became the first NCAA NIL athlete to sign a shoe deal with an international brand, Nick De Paula reported on X.

According to De Paula, Lee has signed a multi-year signature shoe deal with Serious Player Only to become the future face of the brand. This deal includes a PE shoe and apparel that launches this season with his signature shoe releasing in 2026.

Lee is set to make a combined $6 million between Florida’s NIL collective & Serious Player Only.

Lee joined the Gators program this offseason from Princeton. He averaged 17.0 points, 4.6 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game over his last two seasons with the Tigers and was named as a unanimous First Team All-Ivy League in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons and Ivy Madness All-Tournament Team in 2024-25.

Additionally, during his time with Princeton, he recorded the first triple-double in program history. He had 18 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists against Saint Joe’s on Dec. 3, 2024. He then recorded his second one in the second-to-last game of last season against Penn, logging 23 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

The Gators officially welcomed Lee to the program at the end of April.

“We are elated to welcome Xaivian Lee into our program here at the University of Florida,” Golden said. “Xaivian is an electric play-maker that is an equal threat to score or facilitate off the bounce. He does a great job of leading the team, putting his teammates in position to be successful while taking great care of the basketball.”

Fans will get their first chance to see him wear the orange and blue on Nov. 3 against Arizona in Las Vegas, Nev.