Nico Iamaleava has had a whirlwind week of a media avalanche since officially announcing his pledge to the UCLA Bruins. But the fallout is far from done.
Reportedly, Iamaleava had been frustrated with the way he had been treated in Knoxville, stemming back to the end of last season, and wanted comfort, as ESPN revealed Iamaleava's desire of $4 million to remain the quarterback this coming season.
Another prominent name who underwent a similar ordeal is newly minted Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck, currently under fire for his messy breakup with former Hurricanes women's basketball star Hanna Cavinder. Outside the relationship, Beck was reportedly offered an identical amount as Iamaleava's Tennessee request to play for the Hurricanes, as uncovered by CBS Sports.
New intel has emerged that Iamaleava's camp wanted an undisclosed amount, but $4 million was not the benchmark.
CBS Sports' Shehan Jeyarajah tried to paint a picture of how things went from bad to worse in a matter of days.
"Iamaleava is now set to go to UCLA for a notably smaller NIL package than he received at Tennessee," Jeyarajah wrote. "His brother, Madden, is also transferring from Arkansas and expected to join him in Westwood. The Bruins missed a bowl game last season but are poised for a jump under second-year coach DeShaun Foster."
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It's clear that it's going to take a few months for this story to completely subside, but if it shows anything, money appears to be the top concern in college football. Whether that will change, moving forward remains to be seen, but this whole ordeal definitely shed a new light on it.
For now, getting to Week 1 is far beyond a falling action. It's a destination.