Real Culprit Behind Nico Iamaleava Drama Uncovered as UCLA QB’s NFL Fate Takes Shocking Turn

“I think he has zero market… It will be an interesting test of how smart and disciplined colleges are in looking at him.” On one hand, an anonymous GM of a Power 4 program proclaimed the grim scenario about Nico Iamaleava. On the other hand, 20-year-old Nico Iamaleava, probably hardly aware of his ‘market,’ decided to enter the transfer portal. Was it the most prudent decision on his part? Well, the question is not entirely correct, because the looming question should be, was it the QB’s own decision to begin with?

If you think the whole tirade surrounding Nico’s departure was orchestrated after the spring game, then you are massively misguided. It all started reportedly in December when his dad and people in his camp began to take the ‘feel’ of the market for Nico. Turns out, there was no market to begin with, at least not anyone willing to pay that north of $3.5 million NIL payment that Nico’s camp wanted. And so began the whole saga of the alleged ‘betrayal’ that Tennessee fans usually accuse Nico of. But Vols fans, hold your horses because it might not be Nico pulling the strings.

Adam Sparks, a reporter for ‘Knox News,’ revealed the main entities behind Nico’s transfer decision, and it all started in December. “Team Nico, I like to call them, that’s like Nico’s dad, Nico’s advisor, all these like seven-on-seven coaches and handlers. That group. My understanding is that they were shopping him (Nico) around in December and coming to Tennessee or to the collective and sort of saying, ‘Hey, look, listen, you pay him this, you give him a raise, he’ll stay’.  And Tennessee called their bluff, and he did not go into the portal back in December.” But this was just the start of what happened behind the curtains, and more drama followed.

Well, most folks would be aware that Nico decided not to attend the spring practices last month, and quickly, a story got leaked. It was reported by ON3’s Pete Nakos that Nico’s camp was reportedly in negotiations with Tennessee. But what followed was broken negotiations, and Nico finally entered the portal, eventually landing at UCLA. The next reactions were apparent; there was public and media outcry on Nico’s ‘betrayal,’ and people jumped to the conclusion that Nico was in Tennessee for the money. But if you ask Adam Sparks, the QB was genuinely happy at Tennessee, and if not for “Team Nico,” the guy would still be a Vols player.

“Team Nico was sort of absent from campus for a couple of months leading up to spring practice. I’ve had people behind the scenes tell me that’s like the most integrated into the team, the happiest that Nico has been since he’s been on campus at Tennessee,” said Adam Sparks. J

Josh Heupel has gotten a new QB in Joey Aguilar from Appalachian State as their new QB, who is coming after a 3,003 passing and 207 rushing yards season. Moreover, Nico is now at DeShaun Foster’s camp at UCLA and is the main QB. But UCLA is the same team that finished 5-7 last year in the Big 10. So, everyone can easily guess how much of a downgrade the season will be, considering Nico led Tennessee to the playoffs last season. Adam Sparks even proclaimed ‘Team Nico’ of orchestrating blame on Nico instead of themselves.

Nico’s dad calling Peter Nakos a bitch and claiming that On3 has false information from the UT staff makes this so much more convoluted.

Is somebody with our staff aiming to fuck over On3 with false info? Is there an NIL agent going behind the Iamaleava’s backs and negotiating… https://t.co/FrANKmJaPo

— Barstool Rocky Top (@BarstoolTenn) April 11, 2025

“In the ESPN piece, Chris Lowe had sources close to Nico say that Nico decided not to go to practice, but that he was advised he should go to practice. I haven’t talked to Chris about it, but I think the sources would be from Team Nico. And if that’s the case, that means Team Nico, the dad, the handler, is putting the blame for the bad decision on the kid rather than on themselves.”

Well, if Adam Sparks’s take is true, then it’s quite harsh to pinpoint the decision and its culpability to Nico when, behind the scenes, Nico was influenced by ‘Team Nico.’ Moreover, many would think that as a 20-year-old, Nico is free and an adult to make a decision, but we all know how much influence the parents can have, right? And 20 isn’t even a significant age to make life-changing decisions. But now that the decision has been made, more woes await Nico as the controversy shows its aftereffects.

NFL snub in pipeline for Nico Iamaleava?

What is the ultimate aim of players playing college football? What is that one thing that drives them to deliver those Heisman-level performances? Well, surely the love for the team and glory plays a part, but mainly it boils down to the NFL draft. That’s the ultimate Valhalla, right? So, if you had asked someone about Nico last year in Knoxville about his draft take, the majority would have picked him to be at least a contender for the first round. At least, that’s what his ceiling was projected to be, despite the inconsistency and low production against top opponents he showed. But now, all that has changed, and Nico has gotten a massive downgrade.

In a recent piece by the New York Times’ Nick Baumgardner, the journalist provided the top draft picks for the 2026 class. He graded the QBs in three categories. First was the Tier 1, or the elite class that had names like Arch Manning, LaNorris Sellers, and Fernando Mendoza. Next was the tier 2, which had QBs like Sam Leavitt and John Mateer. But even this tier had no mention of Nico. But then came Tier 3, which was mostly the QBs being the late-round picks, and there sat Nico Iamaleava’s name with other QBs like Taylen Green. The journalist gave his reasoning for the downgrade, too.

“The drama surrounding Iamaleava’s exit from Tennessee will be stuck in scouts’ minds until he gives them enough reasons to forget it,” said Nick. So it’s mainly about Nico’s controversy that has downgraded him in the draft. Yet, Nico still has a season or two to prove himself, and with great performances, he can even give Arch Manning a run for his money.

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