Chris Low of ESPN confirms it was Oregon that spilled the beans on Nico Iamaleava's bid for free agency in his contract negotiations with Tennessee. In a story Wednesday morning on the ESPN college football website Low wrote:
Before Tennessee's spring practices began in March, school officials were alerted by Oregon's staff that Iamaleava's camp had contacted the Ducks inquiring about their interest, according to sources at Oregon and Tennessee. Oregon told the Iamaleava camp it wasn't interested.
Iamaleava's camp wanted a contract in line with what Carson Beck got in Miami and Darian Mensah got at Duke, something in the neighborhood of $4 million. The quarterback skipped practice before the spring game, then entered the transfer portal. A week later, he signed with UCLA.
In an ironic twist UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar then entered the portal and signed with Tennessee. Madden Iamaleava, a freshman at Arkansas, joined his brother with the Bruins.
All of three of these athletes are fine college football players and entertaining to watch. The whole saga underscored the need for more structure in the NIL and portal landscape of the game, and Oregon's move to notify the Vols and avoid the drama was perhaps a move in that direction.
It also indicates the confidence they have in Dante Moore and Austin Novosad. Last season at UT Iamaleava completed 213-334 passes for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns with 5 interceptions, rushing for 358 yards and three more TDs.
He wound up signing a deal with UCLA that was less than he made at Tennessee but more than the $1.5 million that's been reported, Low said.
Cam Newton issued a stark warning amid the Nico Iamaleava saga pic.twitter.com/I38uHC4BzJ
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 16, 2025