College Football is its own little microcosm in the grand scheme of the sports realm. Among a multitude of facets that make it a standalone thing is the nature of the athletes. These aren’t professionals, they’re students. Ones with rather imposing, chiseled physiques but students after all. Conceded, the Nico Iamaleava ordeal blurs the lines between the two. But even with the advent of NIL to pay these players, the full framework of pro sport doesn’t quite translate over. It’s a bit more of an anarchy. These student athletes have different issues to deal with. Not just injuries, controversies or finances. But grades in the classroom as well!
Now that the dust has settled on Nico Iamaleava’s exit from Tennessee, a couple things have become fairly certain. Ohe didn’t plan to actually leave Knoxville. Nico’s farewell post on IG confirmed this, and so did the actions that preceded it. It appears he and his camp entered negotiations hoping for a resolution either way. But akin to Icarus, they flew too close to the sun. Or in this case, the Power T. The Vols’ brass and HC Josh Heupel didn’t stand for it and essentially told Nico to kick rocks. He fact he’s reportedly stands to make even less money at UCLA than he did at Tennessee reinforces this wasn’t how the plan was supposed to go. Alas, it’s how it transpired nonetheless. But while the athlete suffix is now taken care of, the student prefix for Nico Iamaleava remains unresolved.
Over on X, ESPN’s Chris Low relayed an integral piece of the puzzle. Turns out, Cali native Nico Iamaleava cannot converge with UCLA just yet. Low reports, “UCLA coach DeShaun Foster noted today that QB Nico Iamaleava has to ‘finish first at Tennessee’ before joining the team this summer. To be eligible, transfers have to finish classes.” After the ugly manner of how things went down, you probably won’t catch Nico on campus at UT. Classes will almost certainly be online. Low, via DeShaun Foster, also mentioned when Nico will become a fully vetted UCLA Bruin.
UCLA coach DeShaun Foster noted today that QB Nico Iamaleava has to “finish first at Tennessee” before joining the team this summer. To be eligible, transfers have to finish classes. The same goes for Joey Aguilar. UCLA is on the quarters system. Final exams are June 9-13.
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) April 22, 2025
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