UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava will earn around $1.2 million in 2025, according to a recent report from On3’s Pete Nakos.

That’s half of what Iamaleava was expected to earn had he stayed at Tennessee for the 2025 season. He was reportedly going to earn around $2.4 million with the Vols as a redshirt sophomore this fall.

Iamaleava left Tennessee shortly after a report from On3 stated that the quarterback was in “active contract negotiations” ahead of the 2025 season. Various reports, including one from ESPN, suggested that Iamaleava’s camp was looking for an NIL raise to around $4 million.

Tennessee was unwilling to go that high, and the program parted ways with Iamaleava shortly after the report from On3 surfaced.

According to a new report from CBS Sports’ John Talty, Tennessee was willing to increase Iamaleava’s pay to the “low $3 million range”, but they weren’t willing to go higher than that.

The report from Talty also suggests that Iamaleava’s camp was actually seeking an increase in his pay from $6 to $8 million.

“It has been previously reported they wanted something in the $4 million range, though Darren Heitner, a prominent sports law attorney who had conversations with Iamaleava’s camp during the saga, believes the ask was actually $6-$8 million,” wrote Talty. “Sources believe Tennessee was willing to go to the low $3 million range but was never going to come close to those outlandish asks.”

Iamaleava has maintained that he transferred to be closer to his family in California, even telling reporters at Big Ten Media Days in July that he hopes Tennessee fans understand his decision to leave Knoxville wasn’t about money.

“My time to leave Tennessee was around the time that the reports (about NIL negotiations) came out,” said Iamaleava when speaking with reporters on the main stage at Big Ten Media Days. “Just false reports that made me not feel comfortable in the position I was in. But in the back of my head, I always wanted to come back home.” 

“I hope every Tennessee fan understands that,” continued Iamaleava. “It was really one of the hardest decisions that I’ve ever had to make. But I had to do what was best for me and my family. Ultimately, I wanted to come back home and be close to my family.” 

Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar, a UCLA transfer who replaced Iamaleava as Tennessee’s starting quarterback, is also set to earn around $1.2 million this season.

We may never know the full story of what happened between Iamaleava and Tennessee during the offseason. One thing I think I know is that this won’t be the last bizarre quarterback/NIL/transfer situation that we see in college football.

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