The UCLA Bruins made waves when they landed Tennessee Quarterback transfer Nico Iamaleava. Just a few days later, it was reported that Nico’s younger brother, Madden Iamaleava, would be entering the transfer portal and leaving Arkansas to join his brother at UCLA.
This was a major development considering Madden was committed to UCLA all the way until signing day in December. Before he signed with the Bruins on the dotted line, he was lured away by a lucrative NIL offering from Arkansas. He would flip his commitment at the last minute and become a Razorback.
While we do not know all of the details of the NIL deal that Arkansas gave Madden, it seemingly came with some upfront money. Once he entered the portal, Arkansas made it known that it would seek legal restitution.
— Hunter Yurachek (@HunterYurachek) April 22, 2025
Arkansas Takes Legal Action Against UCLA Bruins QB Madden Iamaleava
This does happen relatively often, as NIL collectives have begun adding language in NIL deals to include “liquidated damages,” somewhat similar to what is in coaches’ contracts if they leave, or vice versa, are fired and require a buy-out.
However, these dealings are typically handled quietly behind the scenes, and both parties come to an agreement.
This is the first time that I can remember where an Athletic Director has publicly announced that an NIL collective will take legal action against a student-athlete and seek repayment.
According to Andy Staples of On3:
“Arkansas Edge is seeking about $200,000 from Iamaleava, which is half the remaining amount of a deal originally worth about $500,000 that has yet to be paid to him. Tom Mars, the attorney Arkansas Edge hired to represent it in this matter, declined comment, but he has made his feelings clear on social media. (Oddly, Mars once served on the same side as the Iamaleava family when representing Tennessee-based collective Spyre Sports as it defended Nico’s deal against NCAA scrutiny.)”
The situation with Nico and Madden Iamaleava may be the last straw for schools and donors in the Wild West era of college sports. To use a fitting analogy, you’d have to go back to Jesse and Frank James to find two brothers who ran off with such a huge sum of undeserved money. 🧵 https://t.co/mgV0U1MXHN
— Tom Mars (@TomMarsLaw) April 24, 2025
A few days ago, Madden officially signed with the UCLA Bruins, setting the expectation that he will be the future of the program once his brother, Nico, heads to the NFL Draft. However, this legal battle remains a real thing as Arkansas plans to see it through.
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Also, according to On3:
“The liquidated damages aren’t necessarily limited to what the player has already been paid. The amount Arkansas Edge seeks is more than twice what Iamaleava has been paid. The reason for that is it is an estimate of how much damage the player breaching the contract would do to Arkansas Edge. This could include the cost of trying to find another quarterback, costs associated with the coaching Iamaleava received while at Arkansas, and any money-making opportunities lost because Iamaleava is not in Fayetteville playing QB.”
While nothing was ever publicized, the UCLA Bruins ran into an eerily similar situation last offseason.
Dante Moore was one of the top QBs in the 2023 class, ranked 3rd overall, just behind Nico. He was committed to Oregon for most of his recruitment, but flipped to the UCLA Bruins in December and signed with the Bruins.
The UCLA Bruins shelled out a large NIL package for Moore (a lot of which was paid upfront), who started a good majority of his freshman season for then-head coach Chip Kelly. After the season, he hit the portal and ultimately ended up back at Oregon.
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This legal battle is a new situation, and all of college football will be watching to see how it plays out. If the courts rule in favor of Arkansas, we may certainly see a drop in how many blue-chip players enter the transfer portal, depending on the language in their NIL deals.
Also, if Arkansas wins the ruling, will the UCLA Bruins step in and help Iamaleava pay back what he owes? Was this discussed at all during the transfer process? It will be fascinating to see how this plays out.