Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) walks off the field after the win over Kentucky after an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Knoxville, Tenn.

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Nico Iamaleava NIL Saga – Tennessee QB Receives Backlash For Transfer Decision

Cam Newton has some words of advice for young Nico Iamaleava

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) walks off the field after the win over Kentucky after an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Knoxville, Tenn.

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava is receiving quite a bit of backlash for his decision to transfer from the Tennessee Volunteers to the UCLA Bruins. The decision to do so seems to be due to Iamaleava wanting an increase in NIL money. Reports indicate that Iamaleava’s father has disputed NIL money as the reason for his son’s transfer, however, Iamaleava was no longer a member of the team during their spring game.

If NIL is indeed the main intention behind leaving Tennessee and joining UCLA, there is no concrete evidence confirming the amount he will receive with the Bruins. Apparently, the 20-year-old was making $2.5 million at Tennessee but wanted around $4 million.

NIL deals started taking place in college football from July 2021 with the intention of helping out collegiate students earn some money and help businesses grow by using the Name, Image, and Likeness of the players. But, it is important to note that NIL should not be looked at as an income-generating method that could hamper careers.

Cam Newton’s Warning

Speaking along similar lines on the 4th & 1 podcast, former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton elaborated on how this whole situation is about good advice and bad advice. Newton feels that the person who advised Iamaleava to sit out of the spring game gave him bad advice and it will stick with him for his career. Newton further drove the point home that NIL is just to make the college experience more comfortable and not a money-making scheme that will last forever.

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Cam Newton issued a stark warning amid the Nico Iamaleava saga pic.twitter.com/I38uHC4BzJ
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 16, 2025

This incident has painted Iamaleava in a bad light, that much is for sure. The internet is filled with comments on how the former Volunteers star’s decision makes no sense, given that he was playing on a top SEC team which finished 10-3 last season and made it to the College Football Playoffs. As opposed to that, Iamaleava will now be joining a Bruins team that finished 5-7 in the Big Ten Conference.

Whether or not NIL is the true reason behind Iamaleava’s decision to transfer to UCLA, the fact of the matter remains that the youngster will have to work twice as hard to remove the negativity surrounding him.

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Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!