Another day, another eye-opening twist in the Nico Iamaleava drama. On Wednesday morning, the former Tennessee Vols starting quarterback officially entered the transfer portal, doing so with a do no contact tag. We should find out soon where No. 8 will be playing next.
All of this started with Iamaleava reportedly being unhappy with his current NIL deal, with word spreading around that he was looking for his deal to be upped to $4 million. However, money was never the issue here?
In a new interview with Front Office Sports, a close family friend told reporter Amanda Christovich that it was complete and total bulls*** that Iamaleava demanded more NIL money before deciding he wanted to leave Knoxville. Wait, what?
EXCLUSIVE: Nico Iamaleava's camp says he did not push for more NIL money from Tennessee.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 16, 2025
"The narrative was bullshit," a family friend involved in the negotiations tells FOS—though other sources dispute the claim.
Inside the QB's ugly breakup with the Vols ⬇️
Nico Iamaleava's camp is now denying he asked Tennessee for more NIL money
"In a phone interview with Front Office Sports on Monday, a close family friend of Nic who has been heavily involved in his son’s NIL negotiations denied claims that Iamaleava pushed for more NIL money. “The narrative was bullsh**,” says the friend, who declined to be identified by name."
Come on. This is all about money. Iamaleava helped Tennessee win 10 games last season and reach the College Football Playoff. He was getting coached by Josh Heupel, an offensive genius. Yet, he has entered the transfer portal.
Is it because he wants to join a different contender? Most teams who had been linked with him have leaked to reporters that they're not interested. UCLA appears to be the favorite to bring Iamaleava in, but the Bruins are coming off a 5-7 season.
The lure to play close to home is there for Iamaleava, but you can't convince us that money is not the main motive behind his decision to say goodbye to Knoxville. He was set to make $2.5 million in 2025, but with the QB market changing, it's clear his reps were looking for a new payday.
Iamaleava could end up surprising us all by landing more dough, but it's also not going to be a stunner to learn that overplaying his hand will lead to a pay cut. His camp can try and convince people he never asked for a new NIL deal, but no one is going to believe that.