Former Husker Will Compton Weighs in on Tennessee vs. Nico Iamaleava Situation

The internet recently went into flames as the Tennessee Volunteers and Nico Iamaleava parted ways days after reports circulated that Iamaleava’s representatives were looking to re-negotiate their NIL contract. Since then, former players, current media personalities and more have started to hammer down hard on this situation.

That includes Will Compton, a former player for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and, among others in the NFL, the Tennessee Titans. Compton shared a long statement on Iamaleava’s situation.

“Alright, this Nico situation at Tennessee is very nuanced. I think we can all agree that the system is broken, and that’s why we need better guardrails, and the system needs better leadership from the top of the NCAA so that situations like this don’t continue to happen,” Compton stated.

Compton then jumped into a perspective from the player’s side as he was a former college standout.

“If I could just talk from a player perspective for a moment, because I get it, I empathize with it. Nico is a kid, however, I hate that excuse,” Compton said. “As a player, you don’t want to be in a situation where others or even yourself is pointing fingers at other people around you or pointing out external factors for choices and decisions made on your behalf. I didn’t come from the NIL era, however, I did play college football. I was in these locker rooms, and although we’re kids, we’re not idiots.

“We are aware of how our actions impact a team. We’re aware of what being good teammates looks like. And if you’re a guy that’s leveraging more dollars in the middle of the season because you have to play extra games, because that’s what your representation is telling you or your guys who’s holding out of practice or wanting to go back to the table, because you’re pocket watching and comparing someone else’s situation to yours, because that’s what your representation and council is telling you, I promise your head is in the wrong spot.”

The former Husker linebacker also knows what the NFL is looking for, and he confirmed that they are looking for people willing to show up even when the situation isn’t ideal.

“”You think the envy level wants to deal with situations like that? The next level is about making plays and being a playmaker, but the next level wants leaders. They want guys who are consistent day in and day out, and they want guys that they can count on and not have to worry about other people going to the front office every five minutes, because your situation might not be ideal. I’m just telling you man, you know what a good teammate looks like, you know how they show up every day, you know how they sacrifice for their team,” Compton said.

He left a message for Iamaleava and even called his agent a “slug”.

“If I could say anything to Nico, it would be whenever you sign this next dotted line, be ready to be all ball, be ready to be about the team, because the next team that signs you is going to be looking for consistency,” Compton said. “This situation sucks for everybody, nobody really wins in this situation other than I guess the f****** agent who’s a slug.”

The Vols are now looking for a new QB while Iamaleava is looking for a new landing spot.

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