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Pathway Sports sets sights on maximizing returns for players in college football video game space

Casey Schwab’s background doesn’t exactly scream “gamer.” A Wisconsin graduate with a law degree from Southern Cal, Schwab’s career has included stops at NFL Network, Fox and, eventually, the NFLPA, running business and legal affairs for NFL Players Inc. He followed all that by founding Altius Sports Partners in 2020 amid the advent of NIL. […]

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Casey Schwab’s background doesn’t exactly scream “gamer.”

A Wisconsin graduate with a law degree from Southern Cal, Schwab’s career has included stops at NFL Network, Fox and, eventually, the NFLPA, running business and legal affairs for NFL Players Inc. He followed all that by founding Altius Sports Partners in 2020 amid the advent of NIL.

So, how and why, with a CV like that, is Schwab’s latest venture centered on, of all things, video games?

“There’s a lot of uncertainty [in the college space] around revenue sharing, the [House] settlement, employment status — or not employment status — collective bargaining,” he said. “But there’s not a lot of uncertainty around the commercial opportunities for college football players when it comes to video games.”

That clarity is why Schwab has moved on to a new venture — Pathway Sports and Entertainment.

Pathway’s business model is simple: The company aims to develop a video game group license for college football players by offering individual upfront payments of $1,500.

The real potential comes as those players signed on with Pathway could earn further compensation, should the group license subsequently be sold to a developer such as Electronic Arts, at which time players would receive no less than 70% of the net royalties.

So far, that pitch has been heard loud and clear.

Pathway has signed more than 2,700 players across the Power Four, just under half the total scholarship athletes at that level. That includes inking deals with at least 75% of the rosters at Alabama, Baylor, Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Oregon, Nebraska, Wisconsin, SMU, Washington, Texas Tech and South Carolina, among others.

“It’s incumbent on us to perform,” said Eric Winston, president of Winners Alliance, the firm backing Pathway financially. “We’re not telling college players, ‘Hey, trust us,’ or ‘There’s a hope and a prayer and we’ll see what we can do.’ We’re out laying capital to these players so that they’re no worse off than the baseline — and we still believe that we can do multiples of that baseline better over time.”

The college football video game ecosystem exists in a relatively monopolistic state — opening the door for a disrupter such as Pathway.

EA, which declined to comment for this story when reached by Sports Business Journal, signed more than 11,000 athletes in relaunching its college football franchise last year via EA Sports College Football 25.

Those deals are technically individual and nonexclusive, though the majority of those athletes are also part of a group licensing agreement with OneTeam, which handles player payments and other responsibilities related to the game.

Pathway’s approach, albeit more aggressive, is essentially betting if it can sign enough players, developers would have to buy its group license in order to maintain a certain level of user experience.

After all, would the lone major college football video game sell to its maximum potential without half the players in the Power Four?

“There have been some headwinds,” Schwab conceded. “There’ve been some people who are confused by what we’re doing. There are some people who are challenged by what we’re doing. All of those are to be expected and, frankly, welcomed when you’re trying to disrupt and innovate and do something new.”


The announcement dropped like a hopeful hammer.

“For those who never stopped believing…” the post from EA Sports College’s X account read on Feb. 2, 2021, confirming the return of a college football video game.

While it was three more years before users had a downloadable game in front of them, EA Sports College Football 25 has since become the bestselling sports video game of all time, according to Circana (EA has not disclosed its exact sales figures).

“I was expecting it to debut as the biggest college football game in a launch month,” Mat Piscatella, Circana executive director, video games, told SBJ last year. “But I did not expect it to more than triple the lifetime dollar sales of the previous bestselling game [NCAA Football 07].”

For what massive success the revamped franchise has enjoyed after a decade-long hiatus, there has been ample consternation over athletes’ compensation related to their inclusion in the game.

The initial wave of onboarding real players into EA Sports College Football 25 — a significant shift from past iterations, given restrictions around NIL at the time — was done via a joint effort by EA, Learfield and OneTeam Partners.

Players were offered a flat payment of $600, regardless of position or school, along with a copy of the game for either PlayStation or Xbox. Cover athlete and “Ambassador” deals also were struck with a select number of athletes (terms of those deals have not been made public).

The issue Pathway intends to rectify: The upfront cash paid to players reflected neither their value to the game nor offered them a stake in how well it sold.

“Whether it‘s EA, whether it‘s whomever, we really think that we can bring value into a place that, quite frankly, players have not received it yet,” Winston said. “That just comes back to that core premise of why we’re doing this.”

Pathway’s efforts aren’t entirely novel, considering the machinations entailed in launching EA Sports College Football 25. But the backing behind Pathway, its key players and the group’s early returns are significant enough to merit notice.

The company’s three-person leadership team includes Schwab, former Georgia NIL collective frontman Matt Hibbs and Bob Philp, a longtime sports marketing executive most recently at CAA and Roc Nation. It also added Sami Robbins, who’d been managing college NIL partnerships at OneTeam, as its new director of college.

“Between myself, our investors and our operational team, we have quite literally decades of experience of structuring those deals, monetizing those deals, maximizing those deals for the athletes,” Schwab said.

In all, signing every scholarship player at the FBS level (134 schools) using Pathway’s $1,500 baseline could cost more than $17 million, or around $127,000 per school.

The company also is creating an activation program slated to feature up to 200 athletes for varying opportunities beyond the base payment.

Winners Alliance — an agency that has handled group licensing efforts in professional tennis and cricket and is headed up by OneTeam founding CEO Ahmad Nassar — is fronting the money to get Pathway off the ground. Winston declined to disclose how much is being invested, but it‘s understood enough capital has been poured in to pay players for multiple years.

Eventually, though, there will need to be a return on that investment.

Schwab told SBJ that Pathway’s profit plan centers on taking a cut of any deal that might be struck with potential game developers.

For example, Pathway and EA could hypothetically agree to a deal granting Pathway 10% of game sales in exchange for EA incorporating those players captured under the group license. If that game recorded $340 million in sales, Pathway would net $34 million, or double the rough investment it would take to sign all 11,000-plus FBS players.

Schwab noted at least 70% of the profit Pathway generates from a group license sale will go toward players. In this case, around $24 million of the theoretical $34 million agreement would be earmarked for athletes (about $2,100 per person) — $17 million toward the initial investments the company made in player signings, and roughly $7 million in new money. Pathway would then pocket the remaining $10 million.

“They have a value proposition for college players that is unique to anything else I‘ve seen in this space,” Arizona Cardinals tackle and Pathway adviser Kelvin Beachum said in a statement provided to SBJ. “They have a dedicated team and long-term vision that puts the players first, which is something I wish I had as a college player.”


Pathway has roared out of the gates since its first set of meetings with teams in February, but forecasting its long-term feasibility and potential isn’t as simple as back-of-the-napkin math.

For one, Pathway and EA have no current business relationship in place, and the latter is certainly under no obligation to create one.

There’s also competition on the market.

OneTeam — which handled NIL agreements for EA ahead of last year’s launch of College Football 25, and has played a major role with the NFLPA and EA’s Madden arrangement since 2020 — upped its one-time payments to athletes from $600 to $1,500 in March.

Still, the swath of agreements Pathway has struck should have a consequential impact in the not-too-distant future.

The deals the company inked in recent months are nonexclusive in 2025, but become exclusive in 2026 and extend through a player’s eligibility (exclusivity would end at that point).

More significant, Pathway also has included a right of first refusal in its deals for players who make a pro roster, giving the company a 90-day window to negotiate video game rights for those athletes.

That could theoretically create an impasse (or, on the flip side, incentivize partnership) between Pathway, the NFLPA, OneTeam and EA related to group licensing and the Madden franchise.

The NFLPA and OneTeam declined to comment for this story when reached by SBJ.

Schwab, however, insisted the ROFR included in Pathway’s deals is unlikely to be exercised.

“The only way it would make sense for us, or anybody, to exercise that right is if we had a deal with a video game developer to go pay more for those rights,” he said. “The analogy is if somebody has a right of first refusal on my house, and I’m trying to sell my house, I‘m going to be able to drive the rest of the market up for the value of my house.”

Pathway may also serve purposes beyond college football video games — though Schwab is adamant it‘s not a precursor to a union.

The company’s advisory board includes co-head of WME Sports Karen Brodkin and National Association of Basketball Coaches Executive Director Craig Robinson, suggesting a potential foray into college basketball.

More immediately, college sports leaders are determined to avoid classifying athletes as employees, despite seeking a way to collectively bargain (federal law requires one be deemed an employee in order to do so). Group licensing, thus, might provide a way to pseudo-organize without needing employee status or an antitrust exemption from Congress.

The approach is also one schools may look toward in a post-House settlement world, where NIL deals are likely to face more scrutiny from a Deloitte-run clearinghouse designed to judge fair market value on agreements worth $600 or more.

“I‘m a firm believer that the path forward [for college sports] is a situation where the student athletes can act collectively and we can reach an agreement with them in some form,” said former Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick, who‘s serving as an adviser for Pathway. “There are a lot of different ways to skin that cat, and so I‘m super supportive of anybody who‘s laying the groundwork for that. Casey certainly is.”

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In his new venture, Pathway Sports, Casey Schwab is trying to help college football players maximize their return from EA Sports new college football video game. Courtesy of Pathway Sports



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The Blackhawks will have to deal with speculation regarding 1st-round pick Mason West

The Blackhawks took a gamble on Mason West in more ways than one. The Hawks traded back into the first round of last month’s draft to take the hulking forward with No. 29 overall pick. Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson admitted he wanted to roll the dice on a hunch that West is going to […]

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The Blackhawks took a gamble on Mason West in more ways than one.

The Hawks traded back into the first round of last month’s draft to take the hulking forward with No. 29 overall pick. Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson admitted he wanted to roll the dice on a hunch that West is going to be a great NHL player.

West has major boom-or-bust potential.

He is massive at 6-foot-6 with good skating ability and excellent vision. He gets that vision from being an elite high school quarterback. The bust ability comes from still being raw, and the speculation he can still choose to play football.

West is a standout prep quarterback at Edina High School in Minnesota. West has said his future is in hockey. That has not dissuaded some college teams.

College football programs are still interested in changing West’s mind.

According to the Athletic’s Blackhawks beat writer Scott Powers, college football programs are still trying to recruit him.

Powers talked with West’s high school coach, Jason Potts, who confirmed that programs are still making inquiries.

West is committed to playing his senior football season. Once the season is over, the plan is for him to go play for the USHL’s Fargo Force, where he will focus on hockey full-time.

He is committed to play at Michigan State next year on a hockey scholarship. You can be sure some Michigan State fans will be calling for him to join the team the moment a major injury at quarterback or defeat hapens.

The Hawks will just have to deal with that speculation.

Potts did say West has not thrown for any major programs and seems committed to playing hockey once the football season ends.

West even talked with controversial Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden on his Barstool show about his commitment to hockey over football.

The Blackhawks are reportedly fine with him playing one more year of high school football. The chances of him getting severely injured are just as good in the USHL as they are on a Minnesota high school football field.

Both are contact sports.

It is good that the Hawks are not sweating a potential injury.

What they will need to sweat out is the draw of college football and the NIL money that comes along with being a college quarterback. College QBs are getting millions. He could potentially make more playing one season of college football than he can on his NHL entry-level contract.

He can still draw NIL dollars playing college hockey. Also, he is already an NHL first-round pick with a chance to have a pro career. An NFL future is a huge unknown, so it makes sense for him to take the better odds of being a professional hockey player.

That still does not mean the draw of playing college football will go away. It will probably not go away until West signs his entry-level deal.





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Nico Iamaleava hopes Vols fans ‘understand’ why he left Knoxville

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 […]

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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.”



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Can USC Trojans Make NCAA Tournament Without Alijah Arenas? Analyst Weighs In

The USC Trojans suffered a devastating blow earlier this week with the news that freshman guard Alijah Arenas had suffered a torn meniscus in his knee. This injury puts his entire 2025-2026 season at risk. Who will Coach Eric Musselman and the Trojans turn to in his absence?  Mar 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; […]

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Can USC Trojans Make NCAA Tournament Without Alijah Arenas? Analyst Weighs In

The USC Trojans suffered a devastating blow earlier this week with the news that freshman guard Alijah Arenas had suffered a torn meniscus in his knee. This injury puts his entire 2025-2026 season at risk. Who will Coach Eric Musselman and the Trojans turn to in his absence? 

USC Trojans Eric Musselman NCAA Tournament Alijah Arenas Knee Injury Big Ten Jon Rothstein

Mar 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts in the second half against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

College basketball analyst Jon Rothstein attended a USC Trojans practice earlier this week. Rothstein addressed the Arenas injury, but said that Eric Musselman still has the piece to get the Trojans to the NCAA tournament. USC has not made an NCAA Tournament since the 2023 season and will look to put a stop to that this season.

“The Trojans may not have a traditional point guard at the point of attack this season after highly touted freshman Alijah Arenas is out (6-8 months) with a knee injury,” Rothstein said. “but Eric Musselman still has enough to get USC to the NCAA Tournament in 2026.” 

Musselman is coming off very successful runs at both Nevada and Arkansas prior to taking the USC job last season. Musselman led Nevada to a Sweet 16 in 2018 and Arkansas to the Elite Eight in both 2021 and 2022. Rothstein sees similarities in this USC team compared to Musselman’s teams at those schools.

“Similar makeup to his teams at both Nevada and Arkansas, USC possesses really good positional size,” Rothstein said.

USC was aggressive in the transfer portal, landing a handful of power conference transfers with Terrance Williams, Rodney Rice, Chad Baker-Mazara, and Ezra Ausar. Rothstein notes that USC’s size should make them a threat next season in the Big Ten.

“(USC) should have a formidable perimeter once Michigan transfer Terrance Williams comes back to the lineup,” Rothstein said. “With Williams, Maryland transfer Rodney Rice, Auburn transfer Chad Baker-Mazara, and Utah transfer Ezra Ausar, the Trojans should have the positional size to be a factor in the Big Ten and compete for a NCAA tournament berth in year two under Musselman. “

MORE: USC Trojans’ Lincoln Riley Expanding Recruiting Efforts With Elite Safety

MORE: Paul Finebaum Goes After USC Trojans’ Lincoln Riley Again Before Big Ten Media Days

MORE: USC Trojans Receive ‘Surprising’ Ranking Before First AP Top-25 Poll

MORE: Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams Reveals Lofty Goals Under Coach Ben Johnson

USC Trojans Eric Musselman NCAA Tournament Alijah Arenas Knee Injury Big Ten Jon Rothstein

Apr 1, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; McDonald’s All American West guard Alijah Arenas (16) dribbles the ball during the first half of the game McDonald’s All American East at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Pamela Smith-Imagn Images / Pamela Smith-Imagn Images

Alijah Arenas was USC’s highest graded recruit in the class of 2025. The five-star guard was ranked as the No. 7 overall player in his class according to 247Sports. Arenas is estimated to be out from 6-8 months. Depending on how USC is faring and his recovery progress, this could be for the whole season.

“I probably feel closer to him (Alijah Arenas) than anybody that I’ve coached in a two-month span since he’s been on campus,” Musselman said to the Los Angeles Times about Arenas.

Unfortunely, it might not be until 2025-2026 until Musselman gets an opportunity to coach Arenas. Musselman once coached Alijah’s dad, former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, with the Golden State Warriors back in the early 2000’s.

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FAU LHP Trey Beard commits to Florida State from NCAA Transfer Portal

FAU LHP Trey Beard spent a week available in the NCAA Transfer Portal. Now, his recruitment over with his decision, to stay in-state at that, being made. Beard has committed to Florida State from out of the NCAA Transfer Portal. He made that announcement with a video posted on social media on Friday morning. “K […]

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FAU LHP Trey Beard commits to Florida State from NCAA Transfer Portal

FAU LHP Trey Beard spent a week available in the NCAA Transfer Portal. Now, his recruitment over with his decision, to stay in-state at that, being made.

Beard has committed to Florida State from out of the NCAA Transfer Portal. He made that announcement with a video posted on social media on Friday morning.

“K Time,” Beard captioned the post.

Beard entered his name into the portal earlier this month on June 5th. He did so with a do-not-contact tag per On3’s Pete Nakos. Now, after having momentum in this recruitment per sources speaking to Nakos on Tuesday, FSU has earned the commitment of Beard.

Beard spent a pair of underclassman seasons at Florida Atlantic. He appeared in 32 games, 30 being starts with a record of 11-5, while in Boca Raton. He’d, in that career, post an ERA of 4.16 with 186 strikeouts across a total of 151.1 innings pitched. That includes an even better season this past year as a sophomore, posting an ERA of 3.14 with 118 strikeouts, both being among the best this year in college baseball, over 86 innings pitched in being a selection to the All-AAC First Team.

Beard is now an in-state addition to the roster. That’s with him being a native of Dunedin, Florida down around Tampa.

This report will be updated further

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

The post FAU LHP Trey Beard commits to Florida State from NCAA Transfer Portal appeared first on On3.

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NIL promises made to recruits, now coaches wait for key decision to learn whether they can keep them

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 […]

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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.



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College Football Analyst Blasts QB Nico Iamaleava’s ‘Family Reasons’ for Leaving Tennessee

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 […]

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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.

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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.”

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.





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