Nico Iamaleava’s deal with UCLA is reportedly worth $1.5M, fans poke fun- "First class at UCLA is econ 101"

Nico Iamaleava shocked the world recently when he decided to pack his bags and flee Knoxville in search of better career prospects. The charm of the transfer portal proved too much for the former Tennessee quarterback as he expedited his exit by simply deciding not to show up for practice. Rumors have been rife since then that he was only looking for a bigger payday.

Amid speculation of Nico's next move, it is now being reported that he switched his allegiances to UCLA and has reportedly taken a pay cut to do so. The move that has left economists, football analysts, and fans scratching their heads in confusion, even as Tennessee fans laugh at the cruel irony of the situation.

Nico Iamaleava's move to UCLA sends fans into a frenzy

Nico Iamaleava was reportedly pocketing a cool $2 million as part of his deal with the Tennessee Volunteers. Everything was all rainbows and sunshine until the star quarterback, like any normal human being, decided that he wanted more. His representatives (his father) demanded a whopping $4 million. Volunteers said no.

So, Nico Iamaleava is now making a homecoming to California with UCLA. The new deal will reportedly see him cash in a cool $1.5 million, which is admittedly a lot, but still pales in comparison to his deal with the Volunteers. When netizens caught wind of the situation, they trolled the quarterback mercilessly for his lack of financial nous:

"First class at UCLA is econ 101", joked one fan (via X / @TonyPeric)

To which another fan replied:

"Hopefully his dad sits in the class with him"

For the uninitiated, Nico's dad also doubles up as his agent. Which makes the incident even funnier, if you ask us.

In their refusal to come to the negotiating table, the Tennessee Volunteers inflicted an own goal upon themselves, as many experts critiqued the decision when it was made official. You'd think that for an up-and-coming quarterback with a proven track record and the world at his feet, teams would be rolling out the red carpet and handing him the keys to the vault.

Except that didn't happen, and reports are now pouring in from Nico Iamaleava's camp that the decision wasn't a financially motivated one. Fans chose to ignore the charm offensive of the homecoming and turned X into a meme factory:

"Iamaleava lotta money on the table', quipped one fan (via X / @ElieDeshe)

"Bro took a pay cut to play for a lesser team", mocked another (via X / @ctwells40)

Amid the chaos, another fan chimed in:

"Maybe the young man needs to concentrate on getting an education and say oh I don’t know finance"

Oh, and then there's the small issue of taxes that the young quarterback will have to pay, with Tennessee being one of the precious few states that enjoys the privilege of zero state-level income tax. Overall, the homecoming to UCLA is about to set Nico Iamaleava back hundreds of thousands of dollars, and fans had a field day on X debating the actual figures at stake:

"Learning about income tax by state is a tough lesson to learn at 19 yrs old", joked one fan (via X / @ChrisMorganCT)

"And Tennessee is one of the few states that has zero income tax. This is truly incredible", added another (via X / @Zach_Sloane)

The Aftermath Of The Incident

Trending

Nico Iamaleava's ill-fated quest for riches brought a wave of hilarity on social media. Perhaps he was just chasing clout, or maybe he got homesick and just wanted to get back to his roots, who knows! Meanwhile, the Volunteers are also searching for a starting quarterback- we'll get to know in the coming months if this episode ends well for any of the parties concerned.

If the reported figures actually do come true, it would make it one of the world's most expensive homecomings. Until then, we're SEATED and fans' eyes will be firmly fixated on the next episode of this epic saga.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback