The surprise transfers of brothers Nico and Madden Iamaleava have prompted fresh questions about contracts and name, image and likeness buyouts for athletes in a college sports landscape looking increasingly like the pros.
Nico Iamaleava, who led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff last season, walked away from a reported 2.4 million NIL contract to seek higher pay elsewhere. He joined UCLA on Sunday, reportedly for half the money though terms of any NIL deal were not released.
Arkansas freshman quarterback Madden Iamaleava entered the portal this week not long after spring practices wrapped up and will join his brother at UCLA, according to multiple media reports.
Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek released a statement indicating he would support efforts by the Razorbacks' NIL collective to enforce buyout clauses in athlete contracts. Iamaleava reportedly had a contract valued at 500,000 upon signing with Arkansas on Dec. 4, according to reports.
Arkansas Edge, the school's collective, requires Iamaleava to repay 50 of their remaining contract value for leaving before the contract expires, according to reports. The Arkansas athletic department declined to comment and Arkansas Edge did not respond to messages.