Danny White addresses whether Tennessee will seek recouped NIL money from players who transferred

Last week, Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek went public with the school’s plans to enforce buyouts in NIL deals when players enter the transfer portal. His statement came after the Razorbacks lost 2025 quarterback recruit Madden Iamaleava to the portal, and he eventually followed his brother Nico to UCLA.

The idea of NIL buyouts has since become an even bigger discussion around college sports, especially ahead of the House v. NCAA settlement decision. Tennessee athletics director Danny White said the school is still evaluating the changes in college sports, but pointed out the role contracts could play down the road.

White stressed the need to adapt to changes as the NIL space shifts. In addition, he noted the importance of “implications on contracts” that could become more prominent down the road.

“We’re continuing to evaluate everything,” White said, speaking with reporters on the Big Orange Caravan. “Everything’s changing so fast. We want to have integrity with which we talk to young people – whether that’s incoming recruits, our current student-athletes. At the end of the day, we are mission-driven about educating men and women, first and foremost. NIL and revenue-share is an important piece of the equation now. I’m proud of that.

“I’m happy that the kids are getting a piece of the pie now. And we’ll continue to evaluate how we can organize it better and have more controls over it. Contracts and implications on contracts may become more [of] a piece of that nationally as we move forward.”

On3’s Andy Staples detailed how NIL buyouts could impact the transfer portal process down the road, especially in light of Madden Iamaleava’s situation. Players now routinely have liquidated damages clauses in their deals with collectives as well, and those clauses will also be in deals with the schools through revenue sharing if the House settlement receives final approval.

Sources told On3’s Pete Nakos Iamaleava signed a one-year contract with the Razorbacks-focused NIL collective, Arkansas EDGE, after signing with the program on National Signing Day. After his departure, Yurachek said he supports the collective and sent a clear message about how the school will handle buyouts.

Iamaleava’s brother, of course, left Tennessee amid a high-profile NIL dispute. Nico Iamaleava was in active contract negotiations ahead of the spring game, On3 reported, and later entered the portal before the spring window closed. Iamaleava’s camp was looking for a deal upward of $4 million before the two sides parted ways.

In light of the situation, Vols coach Josh Heupel said the decision was made in the best interest of the program. Danny White agreed with that thought process and backed his coach during a previous Big Orange Caravan stop.

“I think you continue to try to make the right decisions for the right reasons, and that’s what we’ve tried to do for over four years now,” White said. “And our coaches have tried to do. In this instance, Josh, I think, had to make a hard decision, but it usually ends up working out for the best, and our fans really get it.”