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Nico Iamaleava will take his talents elsewhere during the 2025 college football season after Tennessee moved on from the star quarterback Saturday, ending a high-stakes public standoff centered around Name, Image, and Likeness compensation. Iamaleava helped Tennessee reach the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff in his first season as a full-time starter and will enter the transfer portal as its No. 1 ranked player, according to 247Sports.
Iamaleava’s lucrative NIL contract made him the face of the early NIL era in college athletics when he committed to Tennessee out of high school. His standoff with the Vols also marked the first public holdout between a school and a star quarterback because of NIL pay.
ESPN reported Friday that Iamaleava’s camp was seeking a new NIL package worth around $4 million annually, which would be nearly double his original NIL deal with Tennessee.
Tennessee moving on from Nico Iamaleava strikes a blow against never-ending NIL negotiations
Chris Hummer
Some early potential suitors for Iamaleava’s services include UCLA and USC. The Bruins, in particular, look like an early frontrunner for the Southern California native, but questions remain on whether UCLA has the funds to make it work, 247Sports reports. In that same report, 247Sports’ Chris Hummer and Matt Zenitz describe a market for Iamaleava that may not befit the No. 1 transfer, with factors like money, timing and possible baggage coming into play after Iamaleava left Tennessee in unsavory fashion.
If Iamaleava doesn’t end up at USC…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/nico-iamaleavas-transfer-destinations-in-tight-market-where-could-former-tennessee-qb-end-up/
Author : Cameron Salerno
Publish date : 2025-04-12 19:51:00
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