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3 hours ago
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Nico Iamaleava has decided to transfer to UCLA after spending just over a week watching his name get dragged through the mud. Iamaleava surprised the Volunteers by attending a position group dinner, only to skip practice the following day. Not only has Nico joined UCLA, but his brother has now re-committed after previously decommitting from the Bruins in December.
“It remains to be seen if his brother follows suit by moving back to his home state, or if Madden Iamaleava is simply looking to find the right fit for him under center," On3's Barkley Truax said.
All of this stems from Iamaleava's representatives telling him he was worth more money than he was receiving. That led his team to seek out bigger NIL deals—only for the situation to be reported to the Tennessee coaching staff, creating a major controversy that ultimately got him kicked off the team. But according to analysts, the writing was on the wall.
“This was one you could see coming from a mile away… It was obviously, it was everywhere. Nobody paid attention to the right fit socially, academically, athletically, is this who I want to play under…it was never about that. It’s been about money the entire time. This was inevitable,” Tom Luginbill said.
While it may seem out of character for Iamaleava—who had built a reputation as a humble player—to appear focused on chasing money, recent developments suggest that financial considerations are playing a central role in the Iamaleava family’s decision-making. Ironically, Nico is now set to earn less in California. The Vols were giving him over $2 million.
Since Iamaleava's decision became official, former UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar entered the portal on Monday morning, and by Monday night, he was a Volunteer. This effectively created the first "trade" in college football history. The entire saga has been difficult to navigate, and with the quarterbacks swapping teams, it brings a fittingly strange conclusion to an already bizarre story.
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