Cam Newton put together one of the greatest seasons a college football quarterback has ever had 14 years ago, winning the 2010 Heisman Trophy and leading Auburn to the BCS championship. That same year, he was also at the center of the year's biggest college football financial scandal.
Reports that Newton's father Cecil solicited a $180,000 payment for his son to go to Mississippi State—an offer ultimately passed up for Newton to head to Auburn—rocked the sport that year. In 2025, that might be the going rate for a quarterback at schools closer to the stature of Southern Miss or South Alabama, not SEC powers.
Newton, who would go on to be a No. 1 pick in the NFL draft and league MVP, therefore has a unique perspective when it comes to the situation with Nico Iamaleava and Tennessee. After securing a contract that would pay him $2 million per year to play for the Volunteers—a market-setting deal at the time—Iamaleava reportedly held out during the program's spring practice, ultimately entering the transfer portal.
The redshirt sophomore reportedly wanted his NIL deal upped to about $4 million per year, commensurate with those given to Carson Beck by Miami and Darian Mensah by Duke. By entering the transfer portal this late in the year—after most programs have gone through spring practice—his potential market has shrunk and there's no guarantee his next school will even be able to pony up the same kind of NIL money he was receiving at Tennessee. Newton addressed the situation on his 4th&1 podcast and made clear that he believes Iamaleava is the victim of bad advice.
"This is not about money here," Newton said. "This is a perfect case of good advice saves, bad advice kills.
"Whoever gave him the advice to sit out killed that kid. Whoever told his father, whoever told him or gave him the inkling of, 'We need more money?' Yeah, you would think it’s about money. This has everything to do with advice. Who advised the Iamaleava family to make this decision, right? Because this is what you must understand, Nico and big Nico [Nic Iamaleava, Nico's father], regardless of how you bounce back from this, you will be the example.
Nico Iamaleava got BAD Advice… @CameronNewton explains why they ALL missed the bigger picture pic.twitter.com/dfBUdC9Frv
— 4th&1 with Cam Newton (@4thand1show) April 15, 2025
Newton believes this situation will be a "stain" on Iamaleava's career going forward, as one of the first major college football players to be caught in a situation like this in the NIL era.
“Whether it’s his father, whether it’s his agent, whether it’s if it’s his family members, it doesn’t matter," Newton said. "This is a story of good advice, bad advice. Whoever advised this kid to sit out and chase in hopes for more money is a fool. Because the reality is this, and I’ll need to tell everybody about what NIL was and is intended for, is just to make your college experience comfortable. This is not forever money. You have to understand that even though you’re talking about millions and millions and millions of money, this ain’t it, bro. You at 19 years old, but that money ain’t gonna last past 24.”
Iamaleava had a solid first year as starter—2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns, five interceptions—but struggled against top SEC competition and was completely overmatched against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff. His physical gifts are undeniable and with a big sophomore leap, he could be preparing for a high selection in the 2026 NFL draft a year from now. That is far less likely if he doesn't compete at a top program next year, which is in and of itself unlikely given the timing of his transfer. Even a premier school giving Iamaleava a shot would have a hard time starting him if he can't learn a brand new playbook and win a position battle in a few short months.
As Newton says, a player with Iamaleava's talent could have much bigger contracts awaiting him in the pros, but he and his advisors may have missed the forest for the trees in this situation.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cam Newton Issues Stark Warning Amid Nico Iamaleava Saga: 'Bad Advice Kills'.
