Report: Nico Iamaleava to UCLA is done deal, per Colin Cowherd

The Nico Iamaleava saga appears to be coming to a close. Colin Cowherd is reporting he will head to UCLA.

Cowherd revealed that bit of news on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon. He included a few relevant bits of info in the tweet.

“I am told — moments ago — Nico Iamaleava is going to UCLA,” Cowherd wrote. “Family still claims it’s NOT about the (money bag emoji) It’s about the @Vol_Football offense. I was not told what the Bruins are paying.”

Iamaleava, of course, is coming off a season in which he helped lead Tennessee to the College Football Playoffs. However, following that campaign, he was involved in “active negotiations” over his NIL compensation package.

Shortly after news of those conversations broke, Tennessee announced it would be parting ways with the talented quarterback. The irreconcilable differences led Iamaleava to enter the transfer portal.

Nico Iamaleava is coming off a season in which he went 213-of-334 passing (63.8%) for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns, against just five interceptions. He also ran for 358 yards and three scores.

In the wake of his messy split with Tennessee, opinions have ranged on where the fault primarily lies. But at least one prominent analyst has backed Nico Iamaleava amidst it all.

Kirk Herbstreit backs Nico Iamaleava

Kirk Herbstreit has seen all the vitriol being directed at Nico Iamaleava after his shocking divorce from Tennessee last weekend. But as far as the ESPN College GameDay analyst is concerned, the now-former Volunteers quarterback doesn’t deserve any of the venom currently being thrown his way.

“Let me just say this about Nico. I did about 4-5 games with Tennessee, and the first time I did a Tennessee game I was very interested to see what he was going to be like in our production meeting. I saw the pajamas, I heard about the $8 million dollars, no idea what’s true and what’s not” Herbstreit said Wednesday on The Pat McAfee Show. “And he hopped on our first call we did with him, … and I thought: ‘Alright, here we go,’ And this dude was one of the typical Polynesian, laid-back, calm, quiet, humble, (one of the) nicest guys I’ve ever spoken to. I was blown away. So, I’m not piling on Nico at all.”

Iamaleava, a former 2023 five-star signee out of Long Beach, Calif., officially entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on Wednesday, five days after NIL negotiations broke down between his representatives and Tennessee officials late last week. That failed negotiation led Iamaleava to skip out on the Volunteers’ final Spring practice Friday, and the two sides opted to part ways late Friday, one day before Tennessee’s Orange-White Spring game on Saturday.

“I don’t know what’s going on, I hear about his dad, I hear about his team. I can just tell you the type of guy (I’ve met) … that’s why I’m sure it was tough for Josh Heupel to let him go,” Herbstreit continued. “Nico’s a great teammate. Nico’s a great guy. Nico is a guy – from my time being around him – that you want in your huddle.

“I talked to Jack Sawyer after the Ohio State-Tennessee (College Football Playoff) game before Oregon and we were reminiscing about the week before, and he said, ‘I tell you what, man, we knew we had them early, but I was blown away by their quarterback. We cracked a couple of his helmets and he just kept coming back. He kept competing.’ He goes: ‘That kid’s the real deal.’ So I’m impressed with Nico as a person, I’m impressed with Nico as a player.”

On3’s Nick Kosko also contributed to this report.