By Jadon Haynes
After a college football playoff performance that left a lot to be desired, Tennessee Volunteer fans were eager to see the development of the captain of their ship, Nico Iamaleava.
That was until April 12, when Iamaleava stunned the college football world and entered the transfer portal after a 10-2 regular season and a playoff appearance in which they lost to the eventual National Champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes.
“This decision was incredibly difficult, and truthfully, not something I expected to make this soon,” Iamaleava said.
Speculation around where Iamaleava was going to transfer spread like wildfire. From the likes of USC to Notre Dame to even North Carolina, so he could be under the thumb of future Hall of Fame head coach Bill Belichick.
A few days later, Iamaleava announced on Instagram that he would be calling UCLA his home for the 2025 season.
UCLA had recruited Iamaleava heavily out of high school. CBS Sports had UCLA as their first choice as to where Iamaleava was going to transfer.
This was due in part to one key detail. UCLA pays the transfers an immense amount of NIL money. An example was former New Mexico basketball player Donovan Dent, who had received 3$ million, according to CBS Sports.
When the news broke of his transfer to UCLA, fans and critics alike weren’t wondering why, but instead how much he was being paid.
In the 2024 season, the Volunteers paid Iamaleava $2.4 million per year and sought to make over $4 million per year, which is where the disputes began.
Had Iamaleava stayed at Tennessee, by the end of his senior year, he would have made, on the low end, $8 million.
On Aug 21, his salary was finally revealed to be $1.2 million annually, which was less than he was making the year prior at Tennessee.
Why was this? Was it because a deal potentially fell through? Or something else entirely?
In today’s NIL-driven College sports world, you rarely see players opt to take less money than they were initially paid. For example, Duke Quarterback Darian Mensah was paid $4 million to leave Tulane and play for the Blue Devils.
Mensah and the Blue Devils would then go on to the ACC championship.
On July 24, ESPN had reported in an interview that Iamaleava didn’t leave for more money or fame but instead because he wanted to be home with his family.
“Going home was always at the back of my mind. Just being back closer to family, it took a toll getting my family to Tennessee. It was a lot of traveling,” Iamaleava said to ESPN.
UCLA finished the 2025 season 3-9.
Jadon Haynes 
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