Nico Iamaleava, the former quarterback for Tennessee, aimed to leverage his impressive skills for better NIL deals by transferring to UCLA. Initially, he had over $2 million guaranteed at Tennessee but sought a $4 million deal elsewhere. Unfortunately, following a lack of concrete interest from other top schools like Tulane and North Carolina, UCLA has emerged as his only viable option, albeit with much lower financial backing than he hoped. His father's influence has also played a significant role in his decisions throughout this process, casting doubt on his prospects for an adequate NIL payout.
Iamaleava had reportedly been looking to rework his NIL deal with Tennessee's collective prior to the winter transfer portal. This culminated in him missing practice unannounced last week before Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said the program would be moving forward without the rising redshirt sophomore quarterback.
While various outlets looked to confirm the news, ESPN's Chris Low later reported that 'UCLA is among the schools interested in Iamaleava' and that the Bruins are 'content to sit tight' while Iamaleava considered his options.
If Iamaleava does officially wind up at UCLA, the price tag might not please the family. 'Iamaleava wanted at least $4 million from Tennessee,' Low reported. 'What UCLA was prepared to offer him wasn't remotely close to that figure.'
Well, his options could be dwindling. Of his reported top three schools from earlier this week, UCLA seems to be the final one showing interest after Tulane and North Carolina moved in different directions.
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