Former Alabama running back, Damien Harris is stunned by the current state of college football after seeing the Nico Iamaleava saga play out in Knoxville this spring.
The Vols are feeling the ripple effects of the new landscape of college athletics after a reported NIL dispute with the redshirt sophomore quarterback.
Reports of the quarterback wanting to increase his NIL earnings and renegotiate recently surfaced. Iamaleava camp shut down these reports early on. The California native reportedly missed the next practice Tennessee had, and it is now expected to enter the transfer portal.
This chain of events has since become a jarring topic of discussion across college football, leaving many concerned about the future of college athletics in general. Harris expressed his concern when taking to X on Saturday morning.
“College free agency is wild man,” Harris posted.
Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel spoke on the topic at his most recent media availability.
“I’m sure I’m going to get asked about this here in a second, so I’ll address it on the front end,” Heupel said. “Today’s landscape of college football, it’s different than what it has been. And it’s unfortunate, just the situation and where we’re at with Nico. I want to thank him for everything that he’s done since he’s gotten here. That’s as a recruit, to who he was as a player and how he competed inside of the building. So, a great appreciation for that side of it. Obviously, we’re moving forward as a program without him.”
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