UCLA to Meet Nico Iamaleava’s $4m Demand, Should Court Rule in Favor of House Settlement

One fortnight is an eternity in College Football this time of year. Merely 10 days ago, Nico Iamaleava was gearing up for a spring game in Neyland Stadium in preparation for his 3rd season with the Tennessee Vols, 2nd as QB1. Present day, he’s traversing the transfer portal. Rocky Top has well and truly been rocked as Nico got shown the true might of the Power T. But his short stint in the literal portal and in a figurative state of flux is edging to an end. Nico’s ever so close to his new home, the UCLA Bruins. Which ironically is doubles as a homecoming to his native Cali. However, is this a last-ditch, “salvage what you can” move for the maligned player? Or is this transpiring into his best-case, dream scenario?

For the uninitiated, let’s get you upto speed with this ordeal that has enveloped the sport unlike anything else, ever. Nico Iamaleava and his entourage, which mainly runs through his father,  forces the Tennessee brass and NIL collective into a renegotiation. He’s raking in a cool $2 million annually, but wants more. Well, they did tell Icarus not to fly too close to the sun. Tennessee shut down these advances but the existence of these negotiations came out to the public. Naturally, Nico Iamaleava faced the full wrath of Vol fans and more. But instead of nipping this in the bud, his camp doubled down. Nico missed the final spring practice before the scrimmage. This was enough for HC Josh Heupel to cut ties forcibly. Now, you’d hope the Iamaleava clan had a contingency plan for if things went up in flames like they did. Seemingly, it was UCLA.

It would’ve been naive, almost delusional, to enter a contract negotiation with Tennessee and ask for double your current deal unless there was a school offering it. Nico Iamaleava was good last season, even leading the Vols to the CFP. But he wasn’t $4 million worth of “good”. He and his people got cake in their faces but it’s not the end of the world. Nico did enter the portal with a “Do Not Contact” tag. This implied he already knew where he was headed. Reports linking him to UCLA spawned simultaneously and began gaining traction. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman reported Nico Iamaleava to UCLA was “expected” to happen. But On3’s Pete Nakos, who broke this entire story initially, said this wasn’t a “done deal.” Now, on this bright Easter Sunday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports Nico will indeed be basking in that LA sunshine.

Over on X, Pete Thamel wrote, “Sources: The UCLA staff has informed the team’s current quarterbacks of the expected transfer of Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava to UCLA. This is a key step that shows the discussions between UCLA and Iamaleava are significant. A formal decision is expected in the near future.” That all but confirms Nico will become a member of the Bruins. Now that we’ve leaped past that hurdle, it poses the next question. Is Nico Iamaleava getting his asking price of $4 million at UCLA? Initially, this wasn’t expected to be the case. However, it’s become a strong possibility after athletic director Martin Jarmond’s comments about the imminent House Settlement.

Sources: The UCLA staff has informed the team’s current quarterbacks of the expected transfer of Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava to UCLA. This is a key step that shows the discussions between UCLA and Iamaleava are significant. A formal decision is expected in near future. pic.twitter.com/NEZIG224Ce

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 20, 2025

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