The drama began nearly two weeks ago when Iamaleava was reported to have been looking to restructure his NIL deal with Tennessee’s collective, seeking a number in the $4 million per year range. Iamaleava had been signed to a four-year, $8 million contract.

Nico Iamaleava's dad and adviser Corell Landers denied that negotiations were going down after reports started to surface. Sources close to Iamaleava claim that it wasn't true. It

UCLA was the expected landing spot for Iamaleava, who split with Tennessee amid attempts to renegotiate his NIL contract.