LSU coach Brian Kelly makes bold prediction about Nico Iamaleava after QB leaves Tennessee

LSU caput manager Brian Kelly weighed successful connected the saga of erstwhile Tennessee backmost Nico Iamaleava. 

On Saturday, Tennessee caput manager Josh Heupel announced Iamaleava would not instrumentality adjacent season. 

Heupel said Iamaleava's determination to skip signifier during his name, representation and likeness (NIL) declaration negotiations with Tennessee led to the split. 

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LSU caput manager Brian Kelly watches from the sideline successful the 2nd fractional against Alabama successful Baton Rouge Nov. 9, 2024.  (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

"This programme has been astir for a agelong time," Heupel said. "There are a batch of large coaches, a batch of large players who came earlier that laid the cornerstone pieces, the legacy, the contented that is Tennessee football. It's going to beryllium astir a agelong clip aft I'm gone and aft they're gone."

Kelly predicted Iamaleava's concern volition go much communal arsenic NIL evolves.

Tennessee Volunteers caput manager Josh Heupel watches a crippled successful the archetypal fractional astatine Ohio Stadium Dec. 21, 2024, successful Columbus, Ohio. (Imagn)

"I deliberation determination are changes coming to NIL. I deliberation this is the archetypal mentation of correction," Kelly said Saturday.

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"I deliberation we are going to spot a batch of this. This was a caller world. I deliberation we are going to navigate the champion we can, but I deliberation determination are going to beryllium different situations that come. I deliberation we are going to person to bash the champion we can. I deliberation determination (is) going to beryllium amended accusation that volition let radical to look astatine comps for positions and say, ‘That makes sense’ and ’That doesn’t marque sense.'"

NIL has had a historical effect connected assemblage sports, and, this month, respective high-profile programs opted not to clasp accepted outpouring games. Some of the schools' decisions dealt with concerns it would unfastened the doorway for much players to participate the transportation portal oregon beryllium enticed by different programs' NIL packages.

Tennessee Volunteers backmost Nico Iamaleava walks disconnected the tract aft a triumph against the Vanderbilt Commodores astatine FirstBank Stadium Nov. 30, 2024. (Steve Roberts/Imagn Images)

LSU was among those schools that did play a outpouring crippled this year. 

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Iamaleava was making $2.4 cardinal connected an NIL contact. But erstwhile helium signed it, it was reported to beryllium worthy an estimated $8 million. Iamaleava received the archetypal outgo erstwhile helium was inactive enrolled successful precocious school. ESPN reported the full worth of the woody could person reached astir $10 million.

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