The UCLA soccer program has a coach with a shedding file, shedding seasons in six of the final 9 years, a shedding bowl file, and a losing-their-minds fan base.
It is a disappointing outfit desperately in want of a subject chief, a staunch huddle basic who can command loyalty and mannequin integrity and win the battles.
So what do they do?
They rent a deserter.
They rent a child who simply give up on one of many nation’s high packages, who fled throughout the worst potential time as a result of his financial calls for weren’t met, and who was booted out earlier than he modified his thoughts.
UCLA, meet your new quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, a 20-year-old Lengthy Seashore child who walked out on Tennessee in the future earlier than their latest spring recreation reportedly in hopes of incomes a $2-million increase on his reported four-year, $8-million contract.
Tennessee determined he wasn’t price it. Then Iamaleava determined Tennessee wasn’t price it.
Thus started a vicious journey throughout which Iamaleava grew to become school soccer’s first large holdout, then school soccer’s most ill-timed walkout, then school soccer’s first unofficial participant firing, then … good day UCLA!
Few faculties wished to the touch him at this late date and at something near that worth, however the Bruins embraced him. Few faculties felt they might belief him with their most dear possession, however the Bruins threw him the keys.
The child signed with the Bruins this weekend for reportedly a lot lower than the $4 million he was searching for and even lower than what he was at the moment making, all to play in a half-empty stadium for a group bereft of SEC-style title aspirations.
Iamaleava misplaced. However so did UCLA.
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava passes in opposition to Vanderbilt in November.
(George Walker IV / Related Press)
It’s a match made in trendy school soccer hell, a famend studying establishment solid as beggars, a misguided soccer participant portrayed because the chooser, and, yeah, the entire thing stinks to Rocky Prime.
Undoubtedly there shall be dialogue about how this column represents simply one other outdated man yelling at youngsters to get off his garden. I’ll be deemed as hopelessly vintage and requested, why am I selecting on some poor youngsters who’re simply attempting to receives a commission what they’re price?
Quite the opposite, I agree that these athletes deserve the cash. I agree that they’ve earned the cash, most likely even rather more than they’re being paid. I’m fully in favor of the school sports activities machine sharing billions with the parents who’re really incomes it.
And I’m in favor of those athletes being allowed to go anyplace they’ll choose up that test. The switch portal is much-needed and has been lengthy overdue. If coaches can skip out after a season with no retribution, why can’t the gamers?
On paper, the financial transformation in school athletics has been breathtaking, liberating, inspiring.
Nevertheless it’s been messy. Very messy. No guidelines, no handrails, no police, no governing physique. In the future quickly the courts will change that, however not but, and till then, this leaves the ethics of every state of affairs within the fingers of the gamers and the college.
Within the case of Iamaleava and UCLA, each badly fumbled.
Iamaleava actually had the best to depart Tennessee throughout the switch portal intervals. Final season greater than 3,700 FBS gamers transferred, and exercising their freedom of selection was a good and wholesome factor.
Iamaleava additionally actually had the best to ask for more cash, even reportedly making the outrageous request of doubling his cash after main Tennessee right into a first-round Faculty Soccer Playoff blowout by the hands of Ohio State. Right here’s guessing dozens of coaches requested for big raises after profitable seasons, and lots of acquired them.
The issue with Iamaleava is that, whereas he might have carried out all of this enterprise throughout the winter switch portal after Tennessee was eradicated, he waited till the spring switch portal when the 2025 recreation plan had already been constructed round him. Then, he determined to skip observe, thus unofficially changing into school soccer’s first holdout. And Tennessee rapidly responded, unofficially changing into school soccer’s highest profile firing.
“I want to thank him for everything he’s done since he’s gotten here, as a recruit and who he was as a player and how he competed inside the building,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel informed reporters of Iamaleava. “Obviously, we’re moving forward as a program without him. I said it to the guys today: There’s no one that’s bigger than the Power T. That includes me.”
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava rolls out to go in opposition to Alabama in October.
(Wade Payne / Related Press)
Whereas Iamaleava confirmed gratitude to the folks of Knoxville in his farewell Instagram submit, he has but to elucidate his aspect of his departure and, for his sake, UCLA ought to encourage him to take action.
Clearly, if Tennessee thought Iamaleava was price it together with his 19 touchdowns, 5 interceptions and a quarterback score of 145.3, they might have paid him. Iamaleava was working with out an agent, and this undoubtedly led to some robust negotiations.
However sooner or later, a participant making $2 million a yr must act like knowledgeable, even when he’s nonetheless solely in his second yr of school. In some unspecified time in the future on this new profitable player-empowered world, the gamers should be held accountable for his or her pricey actions.
Iamaleava give up, then he was canned, and rightfully so, and that’s actually not the situation envisioned by all these impoverished school athletic pioneers of years previous.
Which drops this subject on the lap of UCLA, which dedicated its personal moral blunder in taking Iamaleava’s broken items.
You see, the Bruins already had a beginning quarterback. He transferred right here in December to play his ultimate yr of school soccer. His title was Joey Aguilar, he got here from Appalachian State, and within the final two seasons he’s thrown for six,760, 56 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. Plus, he can run, scoring 5 touchdowns with 456 dashing yards.
Aguilar spent all spring establishing himself because the one of many Bruins’ offensive leaders. He traveled cross-country and upended his complete younger life for this final probability.
Now, similar to that, earlier than even taking an official snap, he’s gone, kicked out by the looks of Iamaleava, and again into the switch portal he goes.
He reportedly is becoming a member of Tennessee, however he’s as soon as once more ranging from scratch studying a brand new offense and assembly new teammates.
It’s comprehensible that coach DeShaun Foster could be thrilled so as to add a five-star expertise Iamaleava whereas shifting some eyeballs to a program determined to create some buzz in his second season.
However at what worth? Will future potential transfers equivalent to Aguilar need to pay that worth? Will potential donors who should fund questionable skills equivalent to Iamaleava need to pay that worth?
Faculty sports activities is a superb exercise that has lastly ponied as much as give its long-ignored contributors a chunk of the pie.
Faculty sports activities has additionally turn out to be a mercenary mosh pit, and as we speak UCLA soccer and Nico Iamaleava are rolling round within the filth, each making large cash, each noticeably poorer.
