Tennessee football: Kirk Herbsreit extremely hypocritical to single out Nico Iamaleava’s NIL deal

You couldn’t make up the irony with which Kirk Herbstreit unfairly singled out Tennessee football 2023 commitment Nico Iamaleava over the weekend. His blatant hypocrisy was on display with almost the exact same quote in which he brought up the five-star quarterback.

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times that published Sunday, Herbstreit criticized the way name, image and likeness is being handled right now by the NCAA. Specifically, he brought up Iamaleava without actually naming him.

Herbstreit was criticizing the fact that it was being used as a recruiting tool rather than players earning their money. Rumors are out there, that seem confirmed, that Iamaleava has received $8 million since committing to Tennessee football. Here’s what Herbstreit said.

"“How can an adult with a good conscience say this is awesome for the sport? What’s going to happen when the kid from [Warren], as an example? Hopefully he’s a great player. But, with the reports about [him receiving] three years, $8 million, what if he doesn’t? What if he struggles? What happens then? I mean, that’s going to happen eventually. How those guys in Knoxville gonna feel about that? How’s it going to go over in a locker room, you know?”"

The problem with this quote, though, is right before it, Herbstreit managed to name a quarterback who also received money before ever playing a game, but he did so in a positive light. Seriously, look at what he said here on what NIL is supposed to be about.

"“It was about Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud or a guy who was established on the field creating marketing opportunities. It’s not about trying to outbid another booster to try to get a recruit. That’s just not a healthy model.”"

Does anybody remember all the stories about Bryce Young last year? Nick Saban confirmed that the Alabama Crimson Tide sophomore had earned $1 million worth of NIL money before ever playing a game. Why was that okay?

Sure, it wasn’t $8 million, and yes, Young was already in the system. However, if the principle is not paying players before they produce, Young falls in the same category as Iamaleava. For him to say NIL was about Young, naming him specifically, is hilarious.

This isn’t the first time Herbstreit has shown this level of hypocrisy when it comes to Tennessee football either. Remember when Rashaan Gaulden flipped off Alabama fans in frustration after Daniel Bituli’s pick-six in 2017? Herbstreit said Gaulden should’ve been kicked off the team.

However, later that same year, when Baker Mayfield won the Heisman, Herbstreit defended his questionable antics by just saying he was competitive. Gaulden called him out on Twitter for it, forcing Herbstreit to apologize.

Sorry, but in many ways, the same principle is here. Even if you are concerned about the amount, Young is the one who set the market by earning that money last year in the first place. None of that would have happened without him securing the bag before ever starting a game.

Let’s also not ignore the broader picture, which is that it’s ridiculous to complain about NIL being used on the recruiting trail. That’s how it’s going to happen in the future, and coaches had better get used to it. There’s no way you can have NIL and it not affect recruiting.

If Herbstreit is worried about what will happen should Iamaleava not pan out, well, he doesn’t pan out. Then the people who put up that money for him are out of that money. It’ll be on to the next guy for Tennessee football. This is something the marketplace will correct, so him worrying about just seems like a hypocritical shot at the Vols.