How much did UCLA pay Nico Iamaleava? Closer look at former Tennessee QB's NIL contract

Nico Iamaleave took the Tennessee Volunteers deep into the college football playoffs last season and had a promising future with the program going into 2025. However, in the last couple of weeks, things changed for the worse.

Negotiations for a new contract reportedly worth $4 million fell through as Iamaleava decided to enter the transfer portal, leaving behind a healthy $2.5 million compensation. The UCLA Bruins went ahead and signed him for the 2025 season. But how much did they have to pay?

According to Front Office Sports, the deal is rumored to be in the range of $1.5 million, which is $1 million less than what he was getting paid had he stayed behind with Tennessee.

Not only that, Iamaleava's salary will be further cut down due to taxes in California and would be missing the benefits of the nonexistent income tax of Tennessee.

Nico Iamaleava's transfer to UCLA now official

On April 12, Nico Iamaleave mutually parted ways with the Vols as he entered the spring transfer with a "Do not contact" designation, which means he already knew where he was heading next.

This was soon followed by sources from ESPN suggesting he will wind up at UCLA. On Monday, the Bruins made it official, taking to X and sharing a graphic of Iamaleava in the backdrop of California's sunny vibes.

"Nico is officially a Bruin! Welcome to Westwood, @nico_iamaleava8!" the Bruins wrote on X.

Following the transfer, Nico Iamaleave released a statement of his own on Instagram, biding farewell to Knoxville.

"To the amazing people in Knoxville, thank you for embracing and uplifting me throughout my time there," he wrote. "I’ll be forever thankful for the support you showed me every step of the way and I’ll always cherish the relationships I built there and the memories I created with my brothers.

"I believe with all my heart that I gave my all as a Volunteer. I’m truly grateful for the time I had at UT."

In a retrospective move, the Bruins lost their Appalachian State transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar to Tennessee. So, basically, both programs are swapping quarterbacks, with Nico taking a $1 million hit on his pay.

But there's one upside to him joining UCLA. His brother, Madden Iamaleava, is also reportedly getting transferred to UCLA from Arkansas. Nico could serve as a mentor to his brother, who was a three-star recruit quarterback out of high school.