Pressure growing on Nico Iamaleava’s dad after $8 million Tennessee standoff went wrong

Like many already suspected, Nico Iamaleava’s father, Nic, played a major role in his son’s drama and departure from Tennessee —  despite his denial.

“The family are happy (with Tennessee),” Iamaleava family friend Cordell Landers told CBS Sports amidst reports of Iamaleava’s potential Volunteers exit.. “There are no (contract negotiations); they’re happy with the contract they have.”

Evidently, that wound up not being the case, as Iamaleava entered the Spring transfer portal and his dad reportedly made much of the decision.

Nico Iamaleava will officially have his name in the transfer portal when it opens April 16. AP

Iamaleava doesn’t have an agent like many players do to handle typical NIL negotiations. Instead, his dad and Landers, who is well known in high school and college football circles and a former Florida personnel staffer, handle the majority of negotiations with programs and their collectives, according to The Athletic.

But this time around? Landers reportedly did not play a factor.

“Landers was not directly involved in any of the recent contract talks between Iamaleava and Tennessee’s collective,” The Athletic reported from an involved source.

Many at Tennessee believe that Iamaleava’s decision was majorly rooted in his father’s own wants, as the young quarterback followed his father’s lead in finding the most hefty financial situation with minimal care for the fit on the field or the timing of the move, the report added.

This wouldn’t be the first example of Nic Iamaleava doing so, either.

Nico’s younger brother, Madden, was handled by his father in a similar fashion in the past year.

Nico Iamaleava threw 19 touchdowns in his redshirt freshman season with Tennessee. AP

Madden Iamaleava is also a…

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Publish date : 2025-04-14 21:40:00

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