Paul Finebaum bashes Nico Iamaleava's 'greedy' family, 'overbearing' father

Paul Finebaum has been among the most outspoken critics of Nico Iamaleava‘s shocking decision to leave Tennessee high and dry the day before the team’s annual Spring game last week. And now, on the same day the now-former Volunteers quarterback officially entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, the SEC Network firebrand doubled down, this time directing his ire at Iamaleava’s “greedy” family.

During a conversation about the Iamaleava-Tennessee divorce with a caller identified as “KO from New Jersey” on Wednesday’s The Paul Finebaum Show, Finebaum unleashed a strong rebuke of Iamaleava’s family, taking particular aim at Iamaleava’s “overbearing father,” Nic Iamaleava.

“We’re talking about a greedy family who didn’t think $2.4 million was enough and the overbearing father – yeah, I said it – stuck his hand where he should’ve left it out because he already tried to shake Tennessee down in December,” Finebaum responded after “KO from New Jersey” attempted to empathize with the Iamaleavas’ situation. “So he tried to shake them down again, and guess what, somebody finally stood up to the bully and ‘Screw you, buddy.’”

Amid more back and forth with “KO from New Jersey,” Finebaum circled back around to take another shot at Iamaleava himself.

“He agreed to a specific salary and then he decided it wasn’t enough,” Finebaum added. “And by the way, what’d he even do to earn that $2.4 million? … He’s a middle-of-the-pack SEC quarterback, and the quicker people understand that the better. He’s not that good.”

Iamaleava, a former 2023 five-star signee out of Long Beach, Calif., officially entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on Wednesday, five days after NIL negotiations broke down between his representatives and Tennessee officials late last week. That failed negotiation led Iamaleava to skip out on the Volunteers’ final Spring practice Friday, and the two sides opted to part ways late Friday, one day before Tennessee’s Orange-White Spring game on Saturday.

Since then, college football pundits and fans alike have sought to assign blame for the entire breakup, with some pointing the finger at Iamaleava’s father. Nic Iamaleava, who maintains an integral role in his son’s career, initially tried to discredit On3 insider Pete Nakos‘ reporting last Thursday when he broke the news that Iamaleava’s representatives and Tennessee officials were engaged in “active contract negotiations” in an effort to amend his current NIL agreement.

Former Ohio State and Florida head coach Urban Meyer even went so far as to deflect blame away from Nico Iamaleava after fellow The Triple Option podcast co-host Mark Ingram suggested the source of the split was likely “the people around” the former Vols quarterback.

“He didn’t do that. … Yeah, there’s no chance he made that decision – no chance,” Meyer said on Wednesday’s episode of The Triple Option podcast. “He’s not equipped to make that decision.”

However Iamaleava came to the decision, it’s clear the ramifications of the move will continue to have wide-ranging implications in the months ahead of the 2025 season.