April 15, 2025 • 9 mins
Teresa Walker from The Associated Press in Tennessee joins Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain to talk about the wild situation between Tennessee and quarterback Nico Iamaleava plus the Titans liking taking Cam Ward with the top pick in the NFL Draft.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, Well, let's get to Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans
are on the clock with the number one pick in
the NFL Draft a week from Thursday. But we got
to spend some time obviously talking about this story with
the Tennessee Volunteers quarterback nico Ia mala Leava, who apparently
has just been kind of like dismissed by Josh Hipel.
(00:20):
He's had enough of him asking for more money and
he said goodbye. So only one place we go to
talk about all that stuff. Joining us right now from
the AP in Nashville, it's our friend Teresa Walker. Teresa,
what's going on down there?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Well, I'm doing good. Let's just get it this way.
A little bit more drama around the Tennessee Balls around
the spring game than we were anticipating. You know what,
but you know what, this is the wild wild West
of musical chairs, because you know, the NCAA keeps waiting
and college athletic officials keep waiting for Jesus to grab
(00:56):
the wheel, and this is what happens until somebody puts
in guardrails. And strangely enough, it almost feels like maybe
the coaches are grabbing the wheel because you know, the
reports are that maybe Dan Lanning of Oregon, you know,
was approached and he's like, hey, may it reached out
(01:18):
to Josh Hypel. Guess who's asking and sniffing around. And
then on Friday when Nico Ia malay Ava and I'm
probably butchered that fourteen ways through Sunday didn't show up
for meetings, didn't show up for what was on the schedule.
After a day off on Thursday, guys, he reportedly had
dinner with teammates Thursday night the Top Those were great, reportedly,
(01:41):
and then just didn't show up and they had a
production meeting because the Orange and White game was Saturday.
It's an event that annually Caps they went with the
spring game. Josh Hipel was very clear he wanted his
team with over twenty new players to get used to
playing in front of a big crowd. Why their next
chance in front of a big crowd will be August
(02:02):
thirtieth in Atlanta when they opened against Syracuse in the
season opener, and Nico missed the production meeting, and and
Josh Hipel, you know, there's reports that Nko alerted the
offensive coordinator Friday night he would be putting his paperwork
into the portal which opens Wednesday, and God blessed Josh Hipel.
(02:23):
As they started the broadcast on the Ball Network, he said,
nobody's bigger than the program. He's not here.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Is this just as simple as he thought he was
going to get a certain amount of money in December, January, February,
so he hung around and then all of a sudden
he realizes he's not going to get that certain amount
of money, so he's out of here in April.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Well, it feels like he was negotiating. I mean, there's
there's chatter from some that you know, he had there
was some thought of maybe holding out of the college
football playoff game, which let's not forget because of the expansion.
They played at Ohio State, the eventual Nation champ you know,
and guess what the seating is one of the issues
that you know needs to be worked out because you know,
(03:07):
Tennessee is the number eighteam and the eight people at
the time probably should have at least had one game
at home, and instead they start at that, uh, you know,
at the eventual national champ Uh. So you know, there,
I think Adam Sparks. Knox News reported that there was
a team meeting and the seniors were like five they
agreed with you know, this was a top down, but
(03:29):
everybody on board. Uh So when Josh Heifel talked to
reporters after the spring scrimmage, he said, nobody is that.
No one is bigger than the power te aka the logo.
Tennessee a program with a long history. Let's not forget
Peyton Manning played there, Johnny Major's played there.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
They won a national championship last in nineteen ninety eight.
It's been a dumpster fire of a program for much
of the last ten years. But this is going to
be Josh Heipel's fifth season. He arrived the end of
January twenty one. When this Fanish, this organization was under
an NCAA investigation. Nine people had been fired. Uh for
(04:07):
the things that went on. Uh, you know, got them
into the NCAA's microscope. But they worked with the NCAA.
In fact, Prouit Fire filed a lawsuit recently in an
Alabama hometown courtroom trying to you know, saying that they
kind of the they worked again, they all conspired against him.
Well it was easy. They were using university flans and
(04:30):
University of Tennessee just simply clung the phones and they
got all the proof they needed to to get rid
of them. So but for four years they dealt with
scholarship reductions. Uh, they didn't skip the bowl game. They've
gone through so much and it's like, hmm. Joe Milton
came in here, sat behind Hendon Hooker after losing the
starting job their first year, stuck around, won the Arn't
(04:53):
starting job. Both of those guys are in the NFL.
Joe Milton as Dak Prescott's back up right now, being patient.
Nicole iam a Lava. He was the guy who was
the first big nil money deal eight million reportedly from
the Spired group. He's the guy who had the NCAAA
come in a year ago, just over a year ago,
(05:14):
January twenty four and talk to the University of Tennessee
like we're gonna look at this, And the chancers are like,
are you kidding me? We just participated with you in
the last investigation, and now you're coming in here when
there are no real rules and you're wanting to come
after us. Oh she she lit them up. The Tennessee
AG filed suit the like the very next day they
(05:36):
got an injunction the next month. And oh, by the way,
the NCAAA settled that lawsuit, essentially saying yeah, you can,
you can do some menil rules. So until the House
settlement or something comes into play, guys, you know the
nil landscape, it remains the wildlid left.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Well, Teresa Walker, ap here, we we're going to talk
about cam Ward, the Titans on the clock at number
one in the NFL draft, and we just went off
and on with this Tennessee quarterback for five minutes, which time.
I gotta be honest with you, way more intrigued by
that than I am the situation with the Titans, because
it appears, Teresa, that there's going to be no drama
whatsoever with the Titans at number one Thursday night, or
will there be?
Speaker 2 (06:14):
There's so little drama. Guess what, I have already written
my draft review. I have written the story for that
for that night, analyzing them taking a quarterback with the
first pick for the third time since twenty eleven when
they took Jake Lucker at number eight.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Overall, Wow, are the Titans really excited about cam Ward
or they kind of stuck in a spot where, hey,
they got to take the best quarterback on the board
because they've got the number one pick.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Well, let's say it this way. They went into this
meeting a quarterback because Brian Callahan in his first season,
benched will Levis because twenty six combined turnovers last season, guys,
between interceptions and fumble's loss. I mean, they had a
seventeen point lead at Chicago opener of the season and
(07:08):
because of the pick six he threw and there was
a surrender Cobra. Will Levice's response to that, you know,
he benched him after four turnovers in one game, brought
him back. But it's like it feels like they've seen
what they need to see now, They've said everything they needed.
You know, they asked him to go to California work
with Jordan Palmer, work on his lower footwork, lower body
(07:31):
work on that. Doing great, by the way, but for
a team that does not have a third round pick,
it feels like they're trying to get him as cleaned
up for the prom as possible so that they can
try and find somebody who needs a quarterback that might
give him a draft pick that they could maybe package
and get into the third round and add a pick
(07:53):
another pick in the top one hundred. They don't have
that third round pick because they traded it for the
Jerius Snead last year, and so they need something, but
they need a quarterback. So I think that as they
started this process and kept looking closer spending time with
cam Ward, it's like, I like him. I think I
like him, and you know, and then there's a report
(08:15):
that the owner went down to Miami to visit with
cam Ward and they have one of his well ative
Kwandre Diggs, who was on the roster last year, who
says he is that guy you want. So I think
that they've they've met enough and visited enough. I think
they've kind of fallen for him. But you know, that's
how it can be at this time, the closer you
get to the draft, of fall in love.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Yeah, Quandary former Seahawk, I'd be a little bit alarmed
if Quandrey said, no, you don't want him.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
He's a bomb.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
I'd know better than anybody, trust me, don't touch him
with a ten football. But Teresa, before you go oh,
I just go back to the Tennessee situation for a
second with Josh Hipel and in thirty seconds or last,
because we're up against the clock here. Do most fans
you think have Hypels back and are most fans supporting
the program or are they kind of irritated for the
fact that they lost their quarterback this close to the year.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
They're panicking a little bit. But the trust has never
been bigger in Josh Hipel, the idea that the program
is bigger than one player. This is a program that
last Paul announced that they would be hiking ticket prices
fifteen ten percent of that to go to obtain, recruit
and keep top talent so they could be a winning program.
(09:27):
And they are backing the program and coach Hypel. They're trust.
Portal opens for Tennessee on Wednesday as well.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Got it faresa great stuff. Enjoy the Mayhem, enjoyed the
draft next Thursday and we'll talk soon. Appreciate this, Thanks Esa,
my pleasure.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Thanks guys.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
No drama in Nashville where the Titans. You're going to
take cam wards. He's already so confidence, He's got her
story written already.
All right, Well, let's get to Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans
are on the clock with the number one pick in
the NFL Draft a week from Thursday. But we got
to spend some time obviously talking about this story with
the Tennessee Volunteers quarterback nico Ia mala Leava, who apparently
has just been kind of like dismissed by Josh Hipel.
(00:20):
He's had enough of him asking for more money and
he said goodbye. So only one place we go to
talk about all that stuff. Joining us right now from
the AP in Nashville, it's our friend Teresa Walker. Teresa,
what's going on down there?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Well, I'm doing good. Let's just get it this way.
A little bit more drama around the Tennessee Balls around
the spring game than we were anticipating. You know what,
but you know what, this is the wild wild West
of musical chairs, because you know, the NCAA keeps waiting
and college athletic officials keep waiting for Jesus to grab
(00:56):
the wheel, and this is what happens until somebody puts
in guardrails. And strangely enough, it almost feels like maybe
the coaches are grabbing the wheel because you know, the
reports are that maybe Dan Lanning of Oregon, you know,
was approached and he's like, hey, may it reached out
(01:18):
to Josh Hypel. Guess who's asking and sniffing around. And
then on Friday when Nico Ia malay Ava and I'm
probably butchered that fourteen ways through Sunday didn't show up
for meetings, didn't show up for what was on the schedule.
After a day off on Thursday, guys, he reportedly had
dinner with teammates Thursday night the Top Those were great, reportedly,
(01:41):
and then just didn't show up and they had a
production meeting because the Orange and White game was Saturday.
It's an event that annually Caps they went with the
spring game. Josh Hipel was very clear he wanted his
team with over twenty new players to get used to
playing in front of a big crowd. Why their next
chance in front of a big crowd will be August
(02:02):
thirtieth in Atlanta when they opened against Syracuse in the
season opener, and Nico missed the production meeting, and and
Josh Hipel, you know, there's reports that Nko alerted the
offensive coordinator Friday night he would be putting his paperwork
into the portal which opens Wednesday, and God blessed Josh Hipel.
(02:23):
As they started the broadcast on the Ball Network, he said,
nobody's bigger than the program. He's not here.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Is this just as simple as he thought he was
going to get a certain amount of money in December, January, February,
so he hung around and then all of a sudden
he realizes he's not going to get that certain amount
of money, so he's out of here in April.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Well, it feels like he was negotiating. I mean, there's
there's chatter from some that you know, he had there
was some thought of maybe holding out of the college
football playoff game, which let's not forget because of the expansion.
They played at Ohio State, the eventual Nation champ you know,
and guess what the seating is one of the issues
that you know needs to be worked out because you know,
(03:07):
Tennessee is the number eighteam and the eight people at
the time probably should have at least had one game
at home, and instead they start at that, uh, you know,
at the eventual national champ Uh. So you know, there,
I think Adam Sparks. Knox News reported that there was
a team meeting and the seniors were like five they
agreed with you know, this was a top down, but
(03:29):
everybody on board. Uh So when Josh Heifel talked to
reporters after the spring scrimmage, he said, nobody is that.
No one is bigger than the power te aka the logo.
Tennessee a program with a long history. Let's not forget
Peyton Manning played there, Johnny Major's played there.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
They won a national championship last in nineteen ninety eight.
It's been a dumpster fire of a program for much
of the last ten years. But this is going to
be Josh Heipel's fifth season. He arrived the end of
January twenty one. When this Fanish, this organization was under
an NCAA investigation. Nine people had been fired. Uh for
(04:07):
the things that went on. Uh, you know, got them
into the NCAA's microscope. But they worked with the NCAA.
In fact, Prouit Fire filed a lawsuit recently in an
Alabama hometown courtroom trying to you know, saying that they
kind of the they worked again, they all conspired against him.
Well it was easy. They were using university flans and
(04:30):
University of Tennessee just simply clung the phones and they
got all the proof they needed to to get rid
of them. So but for four years they dealt with
scholarship reductions. Uh, they didn't skip the bowl game. They've
gone through so much and it's like, hmm. Joe Milton
came in here, sat behind Hendon Hooker after losing the
starting job their first year, stuck around, won the Arn't
(04:53):
starting job. Both of those guys are in the NFL.
Joe Milton as Dak Prescott's back up right now, being patient.
Nicole iam a Lava. He was the guy who was
the first big nil money deal eight million reportedly from
the Spired group. He's the guy who had the NCAAA
come in a year ago, just over a year ago,
(05:14):
January twenty four and talk to the University of Tennessee
like we're gonna look at this, And the chancers are like,
are you kidding me? We just participated with you in
the last investigation, and now you're coming in here when
there are no real rules and you're wanting to come
after us. Oh she she lit them up. The Tennessee
AG filed suit the like the very next day they
(05:36):
got an injunction the next month. And oh, by the way,
the NCAAA settled that lawsuit, essentially saying yeah, you can,
you can do some menil rules. So until the House
settlement or something comes into play, guys, you know the
nil landscape, it remains the wildlid left.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Well, Teresa Walker, ap here, we we're going to talk
about cam Ward, the Titans on the clock at number
one in the NFL draft, and we just went off
and on with this Tennessee quarterback for five minutes, which time.
I gotta be honest with you, way more intrigued by
that than I am the situation with the Titans, because
it appears, Teresa, that there's going to be no drama
whatsoever with the Titans at number one Thursday night, or
will there be?
Speaker 2 (06:14):
There's so little drama. Guess what, I have already written
my draft review. I have written the story for that
for that night, analyzing them taking a quarterback with the
first pick for the third time since twenty eleven when
they took Jake Lucker at number eight.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Overall, Wow, are the Titans really excited about cam Ward
or they kind of stuck in a spot where, hey,
they got to take the best quarterback on the board
because they've got the number one pick.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Well, let's say it this way. They went into this
meeting a quarterback because Brian Callahan in his first season,
benched will Levis because twenty six combined turnovers last season, guys,
between interceptions and fumble's loss. I mean, they had a
seventeen point lead at Chicago opener of the season and
(07:08):
because of the pick six he threw and there was
a surrender Cobra. Will Levice's response to that, you know,
he benched him after four turnovers in one game, brought
him back. But it's like it feels like they've seen
what they need to see now, They've said everything they needed.
You know, they asked him to go to California work
with Jordan Palmer, work on his lower footwork, lower body
(07:31):
work on that. Doing great, by the way, but for
a team that does not have a third round pick,
it feels like they're trying to get him as cleaned
up for the prom as possible so that they can
try and find somebody who needs a quarterback that might
give him a draft pick that they could maybe package
and get into the third round and add a pick
(07:53):
another pick in the top one hundred. They don't have
that third round pick because they traded it for the
Jerius Snead last year, and so they need something, but
they need a quarterback. So I think that as they
started this process and kept looking closer spending time with
cam Ward, it's like, I like him. I think I
like him, and you know, and then there's a report
(08:15):
that the owner went down to Miami to visit with
cam Ward and they have one of his well ative
Kwandre Diggs, who was on the roster last year, who
says he is that guy you want. So I think
that they've they've met enough and visited enough. I think
they've kind of fallen for him. But you know, that's
how it can be at this time, the closer you
get to the draft, of fall in love.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Yeah, Quandary former Seahawk, I'd be a little bit alarmed
if Quandrey said, no, you don't want him.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
He's a bomb.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
I'd know better than anybody, trust me, don't touch him
with a ten football. But Teresa, before you go oh,
I just go back to the Tennessee situation for a
second with Josh Hipel and in thirty seconds or last,
because we're up against the clock here. Do most fans
you think have Hypels back and are most fans supporting
the program or are they kind of irritated for the
fact that they lost their quarterback this close to the year.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
They're panicking a little bit. But the trust has never
been bigger in Josh Hipel, the idea that the program
is bigger than one player. This is a program that
last Paul announced that they would be hiking ticket prices
fifteen ten percent of that to go to obtain, recruit
and keep top talent so they could be a winning program.
(09:27):
And they are backing the program and coach Hypel. They're trust.
Portal opens for Tennessee on Wednesday as well.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Got it faresa great stuff. Enjoy the Mayhem, enjoyed the
draft next Thursday and we'll talk soon. Appreciate this, Thanks Esa,
my pleasure.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Thanks guys.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
No drama in Nashville where the Titans. You're going to
take cam wards. He's already so confidence, He's got her
story written already.
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