Nico Iamaleava’s master plan to receive more money is exploding in his face.
The current former volunteer quarterback has chosen to enter the Spring Transfer Portal with more than $2 million coming from Tennessee this season and expecting massive deals elsewhere.
Iamaleava currently sees UCLA as its next destination, as it has far less cash.
Iamaleava’s move to UCLA has not yet been officially made public after the first report that FS1’s Colin Cowherd had been back in Southern California as Bruin.
Various outlets were trying to check the news, ESPN’s Chris Low was reported later “UCLA is one of the schools that interest Iamaleava,” and the Bruins say “Iamaleava is considering his options while he is happy to sit tight.”
Well, his options could be reduced.
Of the top three schools reported earlier this week, UCLA appears to be the last school to show interest after Tulane and North Carolina have moved in different directions.
“We’ll see if that resolves,” a UCLA source at Low said. “He’s extremely talented in the starting experience against elite competition, and it’s like where we are now.”
Iamaleava reportedly was trying to remake his deal with the Tennessee group before the winter transfer portal. This peaked at a missed unreleased practice last week before Tennessee head coach Josh Hapel said the program would move forward without a rise in the redshirt sophomore quarterback.
Iamaleava’s father, Nic Iamaleava, has been reported as an important factor behind his son’s decision.
If IAMALEAVA officially ends at UCLA, the price tag may not please the family.
“Iamaleava wanted at least $4 million from Tennessee,” Low reported. “What UCLA was ready to offer him wasn’t far from that number.”
With ESPN’s careful approach to the report and what appears to be a disconnect about the quarterback’s value, Cowhard may have jumped over the gun with his broken news.
And it wasn’t the first time his commitment to Iamalea and Kura was over as Nico’s younger brother Madden took off to Arkansas, very late in the recruitment process after he committed to the Bruins in high school.
Until the official report is released, it is safe to say that Iamaleava’s Saga is nothing else.
