Nico Iamaleava Reportedly Expected to Transfer to UCLA After Tennessee Exit

The Nico Iamaleava saga has reportedly reached its conclusion, or at least the part where he picks his next team.

Bruce Feldman and David Ubben of The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Tennessee transfer is "expected" to join UCLA for the 2025 season. This comes after the quarterback entered the transfer portal with a "do not contact" label "after attempts to rework his contract with a Tennessee name, image and likeness (NIL) collective went public last week."

However, ESPN's Chris Low reported that UCLA is interested in Iamaleava "but not for nearly the money he was asking for from Tennessee." The Bruins are content to "sit tight" while the quarterback considers his options, a source told Low.

"We'll see if it gets worked out. He's extremely talented with starting experience against elite competition. That's sort of where we are right now," a UCLA source told ESPN.

Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports also reported on the situation Wednesday and noted Iamaleava's family stressed the decision was not about the money but instead concerns about Tennessee's offense:

According to Feldman and Ubben, he signed an NIL deal with Tennessee's collective shortly after he committed to the SEC program in 2022. That deal paid him more than $8 million over the course of four years.

However, his representatives reportedly sought a raise to approximately $4 million for the upcoming season, which Tennessee declined.

Things took another turn when Iamaleava missed a practice one day before the Volunteers' spring game, and his time with the program is now over.

"Man, listen, it's the state of college football," Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said on The Vol Network radio broadcast (h/t Grant Ramey of On3). "At the end of the day, no one is ever bigger than the program. That includes me, too. We've got an opportunity. We've got a bunch of guys that will give their all for Tennessee.

"We move forward. Got a great group. Let's go compete."

Iamaleava joins a UCLA program looking to bounce back from a 5-7 effort in 2024, which was its first season in the Big Ten. It was a step back for a team that went a combined 25-13 the previous three years when it was a member of the Pac-12, but it will now have a talented signal-caller with plenty of potential.

After all, Iamaleava was a 5-star prospect and the No. 2 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

He led the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff last season with notable wins over Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma and NC State while completing 63.8 percent of his passes for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also added 358 yards and three touchdowns as a runner.

Tennessee's time in the CFP was short-lived, though, as it lost 42-17 to the eventual national champions at Ohio State.

Iamaleava struggled in that game but will have a chance at revenge by joining the Bruins since they travel to face the Buckeyes in November. UCLA also faces Utah, Penn State, Indiana and USC during the upcoming season, so it will need its new quarterback to play up to his potential to be competitive in the Big Ten.