Former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava publicly pushed back against what he <a href=" "false reports" that his decision to transfer to UCLA was driven by an NIL dispute.

UCLA bringing in Iamaleava, and the situation with transfer wideout Kaedin Robinson — who made public record his $500,000 NIL deal in an effort to successfully sue the NCAA for eligibility this season — signals that the Bruins, who went 3-6 in league play in their first year in the Big Ten, are now in the game.

Iamaleava sat out portions of Tennessee’s spring practices amid reports that he was looking to redo his name, image and likeness deal with the school. His father disputed the idea that Iamaleava was looking for more money and the QB entered the transfer portal on April 12.

Our Jamal Madni was in the scrum at Big Ten Media Days speaking with UCLA Bruins starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Take a listen to what he had to say about the upcoming season. Make sure to subscribe to our UCLA LAFB YouTube Channel!

What exactly went down between Nico Iamaleava and Tennessee is unknown, but the new UCLA quarterback is adamant that the alleged NIL standoff did not result lead to his transfer portal decision. The former five-star signed what was believed to be the first multi-million NIL deal for a high-school prospect when coming out of Downey,

UCLA head coach Deshaun Foster reportedly wasn't 'forthcoming' with Joey Aguilar during the Nico Iamaleava transfer saga originally appeared on A to Z Sports. When Nico Iamaleava left the Tennessee Vols for the UCLA Bruins near the end of spring practice, no one’s world was turned more upside down than Joey Aguilar’s.