Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal sent a firm message regarding name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, emphatically stating that player holdouts would not be tolerated within his program.
The issue arose following a situation involving Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who reportedly entered the transfer portal after sitting out of practice while attempting to renegotiate his substantial NIL contract. This incident has become a focal point across college football.
“We’re not going to do that at Miami,” Cristobal asserted after the Hurricanes’ spring game. “If anyone is contemplating such action – regardless of their talent level – they might as well find somewhere else to play. We don’t want that, and we won’t allow Miami to become a program defined by those tactics. Too many players have sacrificed everything on this field for it to devolve into something like that.”
Cristobal emphasized that coaches would not permit a player to hold the program hostage through leverage.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel acknowledged the current landscape of college athletics, stating, “It’s the state of college football,” but quickly added that the situation wouldn’t define his team’s performance.
“At the end of the day, no one is ever bigger than the program. That includes me too.”
He continued with a message of determination: “We’ve got an opportunity. We’ve got a bunch of guys who are going to give their all for Tennessee. We move forward. Got a great group. Let’s go compete.”
Iamaleava, highly regarded as one of the premier quarterback prospects entering the 2025-26 season, sought to renegotiate his multi-year NIL agreement with Tennessee, reportedly valued at $10 million.
“The current state of college football,” Heupel commented.
Reports suggest that Oregon had initiated contact with Iamaleava regarding a potential transfer to join the Ducks and head coach Dan Lanning.
As a result, Heupel now faces the challenge of finding a replacement quarterback through the transfer portal.
Here’s what Cristobal said:
- Players are not bigger than the program
- Miami will not tolerate players holding out for better NIL deals
- The team’s success is based on sacrifice and dedication, not leverage
