Overview

• Nico Iamaleava entered the NCAA transfer portal after Tennessee declined his request to increase his NIL compensation from $2.4 million to $4 million annually.
• Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel announced the program would move forward without Iamaleava following his holdout and missed practices earlier this month.
• Iamaleava is expected to join UCLA, but negotiations continue with reports suggesting a potential NIL deal worth $1 to $1.5 million, far below his initial demand.
• The quarterback has publicly denied unverified claims that he intentionally underperformed during Tennessee's playoff loss to Ohio State.
• Other programs, including Tulane and North Carolina, have reportedly moved on, leaving UCLA as the likely destination pending final agreement.