Former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava publicly pushed back against what he <a href=" "false reports" that his decision to transfer to UCLA was driven by an NIL dispute.

UCLA head coach Deshaun Foster reportedly wasn't 'forthcoming' with Joey Aguilar during the Nico Iamaleava transfer saga originally appeared on A to Z Sports. When Nico Iamaleava left the Tennessee Vols for the UCLA Bruins near the end of spring practice, no one’s world was turned more upside down than Joey Aguilar’s.

UCLA bringing in Iamaleava, and the situation with transfer wideout Kaedin Robinson — who made public record his $500,000 NIL deal in an effort to successfully sue the NCAA for eligibility this season — signals that the Bruins, who went 3-6 in league play in their first year in the Big Ten, are now in the game.

And now, more details about his fallout with the Vols has been revealed via college football insider Kirk Herbstreit in his latest appearance on the Try That Small Town Podcast.

There have been several rumors as to why Nico Iamaleava really left Tennessee. It was the money, it was the lack of an offensive line, but now the truth has really come to light and it brings a whole other side to the NIL era,

Iamaleava reportedly threatened to sit out the playoff game to renegotiate his contract, reportedly reached out to other programs to gauge their interest in him transferring there and apparently had his father telling head coach Josh Heupel to build a better team around him.

Coach Lincoln Riley leads the Trojans into a season of high expectations, while transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava is set to make his debut with the Bruins.

"Boo Carter skips Tennessee football activities. Is it a Nico Iamaleava situation for Vols?" The Volunteers lost their starting quarterback to UCLA this offseason when Iamaleava escalated an NIL dispute quickly and left town. Now, Carter's "status with the Vols is uncertain."