Nico Iamaleava is one of the best quarterbacks in the country and committed to the Tennessee Volunteers in 2023 as a five-star and 247Sports’ number two-ranked player in the country. After two seasons with the Vols, Iamaleava sparked headlines when he entered the transfer portal over an alleged contract dispute with Tennessee.
Nico Iamaleava Didn’t Have a Lot of Say in Transfer Decision
Iamaleava reportedly wanted more money to continue playing in Knoxville, and the Vols did not want to pay him. Many people were angry with the young quarterback, but according to ESPN insider Pete Thamel, the choice might not have been entirely his.
According to Thamel, Iamaleava isn’t the one making his decisions and rather is being heavily influenced by other people. On the “College Gameday Podcast” Thamel told host Reece Davis, “The sense I’ve gotten from covering this thing pretty closely the last couple weeks is that Nico hasn’t had a ton of say in what’s happening with Nico.”
It has been reported by others that Iamaleava’s father, who also happens to be his agent, is the one making the calls for the young quarterback. Iamaleava was reportedly asking for 4 million dollars from Tennessee, and when the Vols didn’t budge, he transferred to UCLA for only an alleged 1.5 million.
Thamel added that Nico was overall happy at Tennessee, had a good relationship with Hupel, and was well-liked, saying, “He wasn’t a malcontent there. He had a strong relationship with Josh Heupel. He was liked in the building. He was thought to be a solid leader.”
The contract dispute has already cost Iamaleava a decent chunk of change and has damaged his reputation, which is why college athletes need to make sure they are getting sound advice from those who are trying to influence them.
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At the end of the day, Iamaleava went to a worse school for a worse contract and is now in a worse situation. These are the kind of problems NIL can create in college football, and if what Thamel is saying is correct, these young athletes need to be protected from those who are trying to profit off of them.
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