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Nico Iamaleava UCLA transfer is about Tennessee offense not money, Colin Cowherd reports
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- Nico Iamaleava UCLA transfer is about Tennessee offense not money, Colin Cowherd reports
Nico Iamaleava is reportedly expected to transfer to UCLA from Tennessee football , but according to one report it is not about the money.
FOX Sports personality Colin Cowherd posted on X that Iamaleava is going to UCLA because the Iamaleava family was displeased with the Tennessee offense and is not seeking inflated compensation.
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" Nico Iamaleava is going to UCLA," Cowherd wrote. "Family still claims it's NOT about the (money bag emoji). It's about the Vol football offense. I was not told what the Bruins are paying."
UCLA ranked 16th in the Big Ten with 18.3 points per game. It was tied for 14th in yards with 328.8 per game.
Tennessee ranked third in the SEC in offense last season, averaging 447 yards per game. It was second in points per game with 35.7. It has not ranked lower than fourth in the SEC in yards per game in Josh Heupel's four seasons. It has been in the top two scoring offenses in three seasons under Heupel, including 2022 when it averaged a nation-leading 46.1 points per game.
Iamaleava entered the portal Wednesday. He initially sought a renegotiation to his NIL deal, which reportedly paid him more than $2 million per year . He missed Tennessee's final spring practice Friday. ESPN's Chris Low , citing sources, reported that Iamaleava's representatives wanted his NIL pay increased to $4 million per year. The family used the possibility of him entering the portal as leverage.
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Heupel informed the Vols that Iamaleava was no longer a member of the Tennessee football team Saturday prior to the spring game.
NEXT: Tennessee football rallied after Nico Iamaleava left. Now comes reality of another QB
Iamaleava redshirted as a freshman in 2023 then was the quarterback on Tennessee's first College Football Playoff team in 2024.
The former five-star recruit passed for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions, but struggled against good competition.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social . If you enjoy Mike's coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Nico Iamaleava UCLA transfer over Tennessee offense, Colin Cowherd says
