LAS VEGAS — College football’s future wore a baby blue suit, a gold pin that read “UCLA” and a pair of diamond-encrusted hoop earrings.

He glided toward the microphone, sat down, then prepared for the grilling about how much money he makes, why he left the University of Tennessee, who betrayed who when he departed Knoxville, and what it all means for the college football world that his story now defines.

Bottom line: If quarterback Nico Iamaleava handles this season as well as he did his half-hour Q&A on Thursday as the Big Ten Conference’s media days event wrapped up, chances are, UCLA will be good — maybe even very good — in 2025.

“I think it’s just: Keep my head down and be humble,” the 20-year-old California native said. “And try not to let the outside noise affect you.”

If he succeeds at that, he will have more discipline than a great majority of fans, experts and journalists who have filled the internet and airwaves with timelines and tick-tock analysis of a decision that shook college football and seemed to say everything about the burgeoning power that players wield in a world of name, image and likeness deals and a rapidly rotating NCAA transfer portal.

The thumbnail of the story is that Iamaleava was a successful quarterback who led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff last season, then abruptly picked up stakes to head much closer to home and play for UCLA.

Money seemed to be the most obvious motive. Reports circulated that he was looking for a raise — maybe a doubling to nearly $4 million a year — to remain with the Volunteers for his redshirt sophomore season this fall. Then in mid-April, he missed Tennessee’s final spring practice the day before its Orange & White intrasquad scrimmage. Just as abruptly, he was gone.

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel handled it diplomatically.

“Today’s landscape of college football is different than it has been,” he said at the time. “It’s unfortunate — the situation and where we’re at with Nico.”

Before he’d even enrolled at Tennessee, Iamaleava was causing his share of turmoil. It was his NIL deal with the Vols that triggered an NCAA investigation and a lawsuit by the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia in January 2024.

The NCAA settled that lawsuit, and though there aren’t as many questions about who makes the payments to the players (the colleges can do it themselves now as result of another lawsuit settlement), recriminations that flowed when Iamaleava enrolled at Tennessee kept flowing after he made his move to UCLA.

Asked about what triggered his move and exactly when it happened, Iamaleava said it came around the time “false stuff about whether it was a financial thing or not” started coming out that made him “not feel comfortable in the position I was in.”

Then, in a revelation that not everyone appears quite ready to accept, he said moving closer to where he grew up — in Long Beach, about 30 miles from the UCLA campus — was the biggest piece of the puzzle. He was soon after joined by younger brother Madden, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound freshman quarterback who went through spring practices at Arkansas this year before transferring to UCLA.

“My driving factor to come back home was my family, and I hope every Tennessee fan understands that,” Iamaleava said. “It was really one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make.”

He will not delve into finances, though most of the reporting has shown that Iamaleava will make about as much, or just barely more, with the Bruins than he was making at Tennessee.

“All that stuff is for my business team and my agents to handle,” he said. “I just focus on football.”

Among the other questions consuming college football, and that Iamaleava’s saga reflects as well as anyone’s, is how a player who makes more money and generates more hype than anyone else in the locker room can possibly fit on a team that is still, at its core, filled with teenagers whose football lives will end in college.

UCLA’s second-year head coach, DeShaun Foster, said he scouted that part when the prospect of Iamaleava coming to Westwood became real.

“He’s a team guy and a family guy,” Foster said. “It just felt good that we were getting the right kind of quarterback.”

From a pure talent standpoint, hardly anyone argues that. Iamaleava was considered one of the country’s top prospects coming out of high school. The 6-6, 215-pounder threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdown last season, his first as Tennessee’s full-time starter, while leading the Vols to a 10-3 record overall, a 6-3 mark in the powerful Southeastern Conference, and the first 12-team edition of the College Football Playoff. Tennessee lost in the opening round, 42-17, at eventual national champion Ohio State.

As one of the theories about his departure goes, though, he and his family were less than thrilled about Tennessee’s ability to protect him. The Buckeyes sacked him four times, which meant Iamaleava finished the season having been sacked 28 times.

None other than ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit — a former Ohio State quarterback — dove into the mix when he said he’d heard Iamaleava’s dad had gone to Heupel in December and said, “Like, hey, listen, you’ve got to get better at offensive line, better at receiver.”

Speaking not so much about that specific story but to the realities of football, Foster said he knows keeping things clean in the pocket for Iamaleava will be key to his success.

“If he stays upright, things are going to go the right way,” said Foster, a former NFL running back who led the Bruins to a 5-7 overall record (3-6 in Big Ten play) last season in his debut campaign as his alma mater’s head coach.

And if things do “go the right way,” there’s at least a chance Iamaleava could be a one-and-done player at UCLA. He is widely thought to have NFL talent if he improves his mechanics and accuracy — two areas that will be helped by better protection — and might need only this season before declaring for the draft.

During his news conference at Big Ten media days, the quarterback brushed aside questions about pro football.

He also said he pays no mind to the billion-dollar questions swirling around the college game every day — most of them revolving around student-athlete compensation, freedom to transfer and other issues that have turned UCLA’s quarterback into a villian in some places, a hero in others, and a player to watch everywhere.

“I love college football,” Iamaleava said. “Everything that goes on with my name, that’s not going to change my love for the game. Obviously, everyone has to move on. I’m excited about what’s next for me. But I’m where my feet (are), and right now, I’m a UCLA football player and I’m excited to go to camp.”

In anticipating the future, some schools have disbanded their collectives while others, such as Ohio State, have brought them in-house. It is all a bit of a gamble. If the agreement that comes out of these negotiations doesn’t restrict collectives, they could be viewed as an easy way to get around the salary cap. Either way, schools eyeing ways for players to earn money outside the cap amid reports that big programs have football rosters worth more than $30 million in terms of overall player payments.

The biggest quarterback controversy in college football isn’t happening on the field. Nico Iamaleava’s sudden departure from Tennessee to UCLA has college football insiders questioning everything they thought they knew about player loyalty and NIL deals. At Big Ten Media Days, the former Vols star faced the rumors head-on, but his answers only deepened the mystery surrounding one of the most scrutinized transfers in recent memory.

Why Did Nico Iamaleava’s Family-First Explanation Fall on Deaf Ears?

Iamaleava’s decision to transfer from Tennessee to UCLA continues to generate widespread skepticism among college football analysts, despite his public insistence that the move had nothing to do with money.

The former 5-star quarterback recruit, who led Tennessee to a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024, addressed the mounting controversy during Big Ten Media Days in July 2025. His explanation centered on family ties rather than financial incentives.

“My decision to leave was extremely hard. You know, one of the hardest decisions that I ever had to make,” Iamaleava told reporters. “Family was the biggest thing for me.”

“Family was the biggest thing to me.”

UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava answers a question from our @Tracy_McDannald about the misconception involving his departure from Tennessee this spring. pic.twitter.com/89SCIeA55W

— BruinBlitz (On3 | Rivals) (@UCLAOn3) July 24, 2025

The California native dismissed speculation about NIL disputes driving his transfer, emphasizing his desire to return home. “A lot of things about financial stuff, it was never that. It was me getting back home, close to my family, and playing at the highest level with my family support.”

However, college football analysts aren’t buying his explanation. RJ Young, host of the show “Adapt and Respond,” openly questioned Iamaleava’s narrative during a recent segment.

“Reportedly, he did not report to camp or show… if he did not get a raise,” Young said. “So, he held out. He didn’t show up to practice, and he didn’t show up to the spring game.”

Young’s theory suggests Iamaleava believed Tennessee would cave to his financial demands, only to discover the program’s unwillingness to negotiate under pressure.

“They told him he could kick rocks. Go enter the transfer portal. That’s what you want to do. You’re not going to hold us hostage,” he said, noting how many in the college football world applauded Tennessee’s firm stance.

What Makes Iamaleava’s UCLA Move So Hard to Believe?

The skepticism intensified when Iamaleava doubled down on his family-focused reasoning during media availability. “Not at all. My family was strictly the main importance for me. I let my business team, my parents handle that side of the NIL. Just being closer to family was the most important thing.”

For Young, the timeline doesn’t support Iamaleava’s explanation.

“So why’d you commit to Tennessee? So why’d you sign with Tennessee? Why’d you play two years there?” he asked. “It’s hard for me to take that quote and make it feel like it is trustworthy.”

Multiple reports backed up the financial angle behind the transfer. Sources from On3’s Pete Nakos and the Knoxville News Sentinel’s Adam Sparks indicated that NIL concerns played a significant role, with Iamaleava’s absence from team activities coinciding with financial negotiations.

Young remained unconvinced by the quarterback’s public statements.

“It’s hard to believe. Now, if he turns UCLA into a world-beater, the segment might feel bad. But even if he does, Tennessee is probably gonna feel about Nico the way they feel about Lane Kiffin.”

The comparison to Lane Kiffin suggests lasting resentment among Tennessee fans, who watched their former coach leave for USC after just one season in Knoxville.

Meanwhile, Iamaleava acknowledged that the ongoing speculation created an uncomfortable environment during his final months with the Volunteers. The constant rumors about NIL negotiations and his commitment to the program cast a shadow over what should have been preparation for another championship run.

Despite his efforts to control the narrative, analysts and fans continue questioning the true motivations behind one of college football’s most controversial transfers. Whether Iamaleava’s tenure at UCLA vindicates his decision or proves his critics right remains to be seen.

Cleveland Guardians rookie shortstop Dean Curley has officially signed his contract with the team, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis. The second-round pick will make roughly $1.77 million, which is above the pick value of $1.38 million.

Curley played the past two seasons at Tennessee after committing to Tony Vitello and the Vols out of Northview High School in La Verne, California. He was named a second team Freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman team in 2024 while helping Tennessee to its first national championship in program history.

That included recording two hits in all three games of the College World Series final against Texas A&M. Overall for his freshman season, Curley batted .285 with 12 home runs and 50 RBI.

He then returned for his second season in Knoxville where he improved slightly on all of those numbers. He posted a batting average of .315 with 14 home runs and 51 RBI this past year as Tennessee bowed out in Super Regional action against Arkansas.

If there was any negatives about Curley, it’s that his fielding percentage dipped quite a bit. Going from .935 in 2024, this season saw it at .906. A total of 32 errors were committed by Curley as he played in multiple infield spots. Maybe something to look for as he transitions to the next level.

Prior to the draft, a scouting report on Dean Curley was provided by MLB.com. They ranked him as the 60th overall prospect in the draft, grading him as a 50 overall on the 80-grade scale. Curley’s arm at 65 came in as his best trait, followed by power, run, and field at 50.

“More physical than most shortstops at 6-foot-3 and 218 pounds, Curley has solid-to-plus raw power and lets it come naturally,” the scouting report said. “He understands the strike zone and works from gap to gap with a quick, controlled right-handed stroke. But he has gotten overly selective at times this spring and hasn’t done as much damage against non-fastballs as he did as a freshman.

“Curley possesses average speed and shows good instincts on the bases. Though he doesn’t have typical shortstop quickness, he compensates with good positioning and a finely tuned internal clock, and he possesses one of the strongest infield arms in college baseball. His defensive consistency and throwing accuracy have declined this year, prompting Tennessee to move him around the infield, and his future defensive home is now more uncertain.”