At this point, the drama surrounding Nico Iamaleava’s messy departure from Tennessee feels less like a college football transfer story and more like a reality show.
But instead of taking a step back, owning the moment, and repairing the damage, Nico’s camp has decided to keep doubling down.
In a new interview with Front Office Sports, a family friend who’s been deeply involved in Iamaleava’s NIL dealings said point blank: the narrative that Nico asked for more NIL money is, quote, “bull****.” Seriously? That’s the route we’re going with?
Because let’s be honest—if the goal is to get people to believe your side of the story, you're gonna need more than some unnamed family friend denying everything while everyone else close to the situation is saying the opposite.
According to multiple reports, including On3, the $4 million number didn’t just pop up out of thin air. It wasn’t scribbled on a napkin by a blogger looking for clicks. That figure came from people in the know. People inside the NIL conversations. The very same conversations Nico's camp keeps pretending didn’t happen.
It's all just one big lie, Nico Iamaleava's "team" says
If all this really is one big lie, someone’s going to have to explain why Nico skipped practice the day before Tennessee’s spring game. Was that just a coincidence? A personal day? The friend quoted in the story claims Nico Iamaleava had already made up his mind to transfer by then—but if that’s true, why not tell the coaches before practice instead of ghosting them and not responding to any calls or texts until after it was over?
There’s also the matter of Tennessee “cutting bait” and moving on. Head coach Josh Heupel publicly thanked Nico but made it clear they’re moving forward. You don’t do that unless there’s been a serious breach in trust. And guess what? If everything was all roses behind closed doors, the Vols wouldn’t have walked away from their QB1 just months after he helped lead them to the College Football Playoff.
Why is he leaving to begin with — randomly as Nico's representation would have you believe — at the end of spring practice?
At the center of all this chaos is a simple truth: instead of taking accountability, Nico’s team—led by his father and others with no certified agent credentials—is spinning harder than ever. They’re still not owning anything. His father hasn’t apologized to reporter Pete Nakos after calling him out with a degrading tweet. And the longer they play defense, the worse this looks for Nico himself.
They’re only hurting Nico
Let’s not sugarcoat it—this isn’t just about one guy asking for more money. It’s about poor communication, bad representation, and a refusal to admit when you’ve made a mistake. The sad part? Nico’s the one paying the price. His name is being dragged through the mud while his team keeps digging in.
Although, his "representation" says otherwise.
"His representation hasn't steered him wrong," they said in the interview. "At the end of the day, what did we do wrong to steer him and put him in a bad situation? We didn't."
Oh, I don't know? How about the fact that the kid's options are dwindling in the portal and he may end up taking a worse NIL deal than what he had originally at Tennessee? How about the fact that whatever destination he ends up in, he's going to be the villain to the rest of college football? How about the fact that wherever he ends up, he will have essentially zero chance to get to the College Football Playoff or do anything of relevance next season?
If Nico was going to transfer and it was truly due to something other than NIL, why didn't he just go ahead and do it in December? Why did he ghost coaches and skip practice — after going through all of the spring — if that was the case? It was because he was steered in the wrong direction. Ultimately, it's his choice and it falls on his shoulders, but to say his representation "hasn't steered him wrong" is really just a lie.
If there was ever a moment to pull back, apologize, and clean things up, it was now. Instead, they’ve chosen pride over progress—and in doing so, they may have torched what was left of Nico’s credibility.
The transfer portal can offer a second chance. But only if you’re willing to learn from the first mistake. Nico’s team seems determined to prove they’re not.