Nico Iamaleava shocked the college football world in the past few days. After spending the past two seasons with the Tennessee Volunteers, the quarterback demanded a new NIL deal from the program. According to his current deal, he was earning $2.4 million and was set to get around $10 million had he played for the Vols for four seasons.
However, Iamaleava demanded $4 million in one season. This led to the Vols parting ways with the quarterback. He subsequently entered the transfer portal on Wednesday. One of the teams linked with Iamaleava is the UCLA Bruins. However, according to reports, the Bruins are not interested in paying him anywhere near his desired amount.
Reporter Sheena Quick shared an update about the Iamaleava situation on social media. According to her, the Bruins offered the quarterback an NIL deal that paid him under $2 million. This was less than what he was making during his stint with the Vols.
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Fans soon shared their reactions to the update, with some trolling the quarterback about how he will have to pay high California taxes while earning significantly less through his NIL deal.
“F***ed his money up then Cali taxes,” one fan commented.
“What’s Californias tax compared to tennessee?” another fan said.
“Even less with CA taxes,” a fan said.
“A couple million in TN goes a lot farther than <$2mm in LA,” one fan wrote.
“Bro sold the bag,” a fan commented.
“So he moved from a state with no income tax to a state with the highest income tax while getting paid less?” another fan wrote.
If Iamaleava decides to join the Bruins on a lesser-paying contract, then Appalachian State transfer Joey Aguilar might find himself departing from the program without even starting the game. However, a source from the school told ESPN that they are “content” with sitting out and waiting patiently to see how this situation plays out in the coming days.
Urban Meyer addresses Tennessee’s situation after Nico Iamaleava’s departure
Josh Heupel and his team will be looking to bring in a starting quarterback through the transfer portal. Currently, they have Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre on the depth chart for the upcoming season.
On the latest episode of On3’s “Triple Option” podcast, three-time national champion Urban Meyer shared his perspective on the Vols’ situation after Nico Iamaleava’s departure. According to him, Heupel and his team will suffer immensely after losing a top-rated quarterback like Iamaleava.
“Here’s the reality: Tennessee is scr*wed,” Meyer said. “They got a problem. You lose a potential high draft pick. You have the backup quarterback left from last year, and now you have a redshirt freshman who threw nine passes as a freshman. You have zero experience, and the portal opens as we speak. They are going to have to go get one.”
During his two-season stint with the Vols, Nico Iamaleava recorded a total of 2,930 yards and 21 passing TDs.
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Edited by Veer Badani
