Nico Iamaleava left Tennessee in a blaze of infamy. The five-star quarterback burned nearly every bridge on his way out of Knoxville after the Volunteers signed him to the largest NIL deal in history (at the time) and reached the College Football Playoff.
He would not change a thing!
One of the most polarizing figures in college football does not regret how things ended with his former school. The rising senior at UCLA also continues to say his highly-scrutinized exit had nothing to do with money.
Nico Iamaleava left Tennessee, in part, because of NIL money.
Only Arch Manning ranked higher than Nico Iamalaeava in the recruiting Class of 2023. The five-star quarterback prospect committed to Tennessee over Miami, Georgia, Alabama and Oregon. The Volunteers signed him to a record $8 million NIL deal.
It was an immediate success.
Iamaleava sat behind Joe Milton as a freshman in 2023 but he won his first start in a 35-0 victory over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. He completed 63.8% of his passes for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns with five interceptions and led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff as a sophomore in 2024. Vibes were high in Knoxville. The massive NIL investment paid off.
And then it completely fell apart just a few months later.
Iamaleava bailed on spring practice amid contract negotiations. His father reportedly led a push for even more NIL money and shopped his son to other schools before he was in the transfer portal. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning refused to say whether he was the person who tipped off the Volunteers about their quarterback’s behind-the-scenes shenanigans.
Tennessee ultimately told Iamaleava to hit the transfer portal.
Although his father flaunted NIL offers worth double his deal with the Vols, the family had to walk back its hubris when the real numbers started to come out. In the end, Nico Iamalaeava took a pay cut to play at UCLA. A somber video showed his father pack the family UHaul for its move back to California after costing his son more than $1 million. The breakup was not amicable.
To make matters worse, Iamaleava’s dad threw his son under the bus for skipping spring practice against his wishes. The highly-touted transfer also had to deny false rumors about a potential College Football Playoff holdout.
It was hard to find a positive headline about Iamaleava. His departure from Tennessee was an overwhelmingly bad look.
UCLA’s starting quarterback would not change a thing.
Although Nico Iamaleava was cast as the biggest villain in college football (before Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss during the Playoff), he does not have any regrets. The starting quarterback at UCLA told USA Today that he doesn’t care what people think.
“At that point, the narrative was out there, whatever narratives they made, so I didn’t really feel the need to talk, let them run with their stories, and the truth will come out eventually. I think no, I wouldn’t have anything different.”
He also claims his decision to leave Tennessee had nothing to do with money. Iamaleava continues to claim that he was ready to get back to California, closer to his home in Long Beach because the distance left him in a “rough mental state.”
Maybe that is true. Two things can be true at once!
However, based on everything we know about the fallout on Rocky Top, money was the primary driving force behind the eventual transfer to UCLA. Whether directly or indirectly, Iamaleava’s dad’s secret NIL negotiations served as the proverbial push that sent the snowball rolling down the hill.