The NCAA v. House settlement ruling in June ushered in a new era of collegiate athletics. Division I collegiate athletes can now be paid and NIL deals have proven lucrative; however, some players may base commitment decisions on NIL opportunities rather than the attributes of a particular school’s program.
Amidst these changes, the transfer process has become more complicated, and debates about transfer and recruiting regulations are rising across the NCAA. Some situations are even being addressed at the legal level, like Wisconsin’s civil suit against the University of Miami for alleged tampering with a football recruit.
One of the more interesting storylines to emerge in the wake of the NCAA v. House settlement involves redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava. The 6-foot-6 California native spent his first two division I seasons in Knoxville as a Tennessee Volunteer, but announced his transfer to UCLA in April.
“I’m cheering for the kid, I really am,” analyst David Pollack said June 23. “Because I don’t feel like this was his fault. I feel like… he kind of got used in this situation and he kind of got the bad end of this.”
As a true freshman, Iamaleava was the Vols’ backup quarterback behind Joe Milton III, eventually earning a redshirt. The following season, he became the first true or redshirt freshman quarterback in Tennessee history to lead the Vols to 10 regular-season wins, and the first overall to win 10 games as a starter since Casey Clausen’s senior season in 2003.
By all accounts, Iamaleava was succeeding in Knoxville — but his father wanted more money.
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It was a sticky situation. Tennessee staff claimed Iamaleava’s father Nic and other representatives were aiming to increase the quarterback’s 2025 pay from around $2.4 million to nearly $4 million, while the athlete’s representatives denied they were seeking that amount. As this unfolded Iamaleava effectively disappeared, ignoring all contact from his Tennessee coaches and teammates.
A little over a week later, the quarterback announced his commitment to UCLA.
Iamaleava’s move to the Big Ten puts him in an interesting position. Pollack expects to see more running from the redshirt sophomore this season, but questioned whether Iamaleava will record similar stats in Los Angeles.
“Do you expect to see the same type of numbers he had at Tennessee? Because here’s the thing: His team is not getting better. That’s what’s unfortunate,” Pollack said.
At the end of the day, the analyst feels for the quarterback.
“He’s the one who’s got to strap on the pads and move across the country now, that his dad was trying to make more money,” Pollack said. “And listen, it’s a capitalist society, if you want to go make more money this is also the other side of the coin. I feel bad for the kid that he has to go start over, because it’s not easy.”