Tennessee is currently under NCAA investigation for potential NIL violations in multiple sports. According to Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated, it is “major in nature.”
Further details about what might be the subject of scrutiny are unclear at this time. There is no indication as to how many teams might be involved or which ones. Any athletes or coaches who might be involved with the investigation have not yet been named.
However, the university acknowledged the investigation to Forde. It declined to comment further and has yet to receive a notice of allegations from the NCAA.
This new development comes less than one month after Florida State was hit with sanctions that stemmed from NIL violations. There seems to be a trend here, with the NCAA trying to crack down.
Regardless of what might be investigated, the Volunteers do not believe that they have done anything wrong. All of the governing body’s guidance in the NIL space is vague and largely subjective. In addition, most schools across the country are operating in a similar manner regarding NIL. So if one school’s athletic department is doing something that is against the rules, most schools are doing the same.
Tennessee could be punished.
There is still a very long way to go with the ongoing NIL investigation taking place in Knoxville. Unless the Vols come to some kind of settlement like the Seminoles, this could take years to figure out.
We don’t know. All we know is that the NCAA is looking into the university’s NIL practices.
This is especially noteworthy because of how things operate in east Tennessee. The Volunteer Club, which is operated by Spyre Sports Group, is considered one of the best NIL collectives in the country.
It had more than 4,000 members signed up by the end of 2023 and Spyre Sports had signed deals with athletes across 11 different sports. One particular athlete stands out.
Five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava signed to play for the Vols as part of the recruiting class of 2023. He put his pen to paper just weeks after an unnamed recruit ink an NIL deal worth $8 million.
The process of elimination and logical deduction suggests that the deal was presented to one of three quarterbacks, and the general consensus was that it was Iamaleava. Neither he, nor his family, nor the university, nor the collective have confirmed or denied whether he was the player mentioned in the initial report.
Perhaps this speculation surrounding the $8 million man, whomever it may be, is part of the NCAA investigation. Perhaps not. We do not have any further information at this point. It is pure speculation.
More details will emerge as time goes on.