As long as you weren't in a coma or living under a rock this past weekend, you would have more than likely heard the news of Nico Iamaleava leaving Tennessee because of failed NIL negotiations. That's right, a starter for a Power Four playoff contender decided to hit the transfer portal at the end of spring ball because he wasn't going to make as much as he had hoped.
The sport might be doomed.
But Clemson football fans counted their blessings as they realized that the culture that Dabo Swinney built would never allow for such a thing to happen. And if it did happen, he would cut ties immediately.
Fortunately, Clemson is staying far away from this Nico drama and there's no reason to get involved, especially since Cade Klubnik is back for his senior year and he's expected to be one of the best quarterbacks in college football this season.
However, Clemson may not be able to avoid the Iamaleava circus forever.
According to reports, a few programs are standing out to the former Volunteer starter and five-star quarterback out of high school: Tulane (not a typo), UCLA, and North Carolina. And who does Clemson play this season on Oct. 4 in Chapel Hill? That's right, North Carolina.
Bill Belichick has that draw of being one of the greatest coaches the sport of football has ever seen and Iamaleava has to look at him as the guy who helped make Tom Brady the greatest of all time. He could opt to join North Carolina which undoubtedly has the resources to pay Iamaleava big money and that would mean that Oct. 4 matchup gets a lot more interesting.
Avoiding the circus had to be top priority for Dabo after a fairly stress-free spring and while he's not involved with the drama-heavy quarterback, he may have to subject himself to the media storm in October as he tries to engineer another playoff run.
You can run from the drama, but sometimes, it finds you. This is a prime example.