In the midst of the college football Name, Image, and Likeness (“NIL”) era, nothing says “we need some guardrails” quite like the Iamaleava debacle. Within the past week, both Nico Iamaleava (“Nico”), Tennessee’s starting quarterback, and his brother, Arkansas early enrollee Madden Iamaleava have both hit the transfer portal – despite being in superficially strong positions – leaving college football fans across the country scratching their heads. With the NCAA v. House settlement on hold, Trump administration’s rescission of Title IX guidance for NIL, and state of college football at a critical juncture, the straightforward question remains, though the answer is anything but simple: what comes next?

Nico, the former starting quarterback for the university of Tennessee has sent college football into a frenzy with his latest moves and rumored demands for exorbitant sums of money. For context, Nico’s contract with Tennessee of roughly $8 million over three years made him one of the highest-paid players in college football. Despite zero threat of losing his starting job at the SEC powerhouse, he recently sought to restructure his deal to the tune of around $4 million per year. While he was a highly touted signal caller out of high school and certainly displayed some flashes his freshman year, many would argue Nico did not warrant a higher salary. After failed negotiations with Tennessee and his absence at multiple practices, he and the team decided to part ways. Nico recently committed to UCLA, and ironically, he’ll be earning less per year at a school with a football program miles behind the University of Tennessee in terms of prominence, success, and development. Funny enough, UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar entered the portal and committed to Tennessee in the wake of Nico’s decision, effectively marking what could be considered the first ever college football trade. While Nico’s father denied that money was the core issue, numerous reports and indications suggest this was likely a strategy to secure a higher payout.

Just when you thought Nico entering the portal was wild, the plot has thickened as his younger brother recently decided to join him by entering the portal and heading to UCLA. Nico’s younger brother, Madden Iamaleava (“Madden”), was a four star recruit in the class of 2025 poised to compete for the starting job at Arkansas. Although Madden was initially committed to UCLA, the time of the decision raises some questions. While it’s true both Iamaleava’s are from Southern California, why would they suddenly leave big SEC programs with bright futures to return home together at the same school? What prompted the change? Let’s not sugarcoat it – money’s likely at play, and college football fans aren’t exactly thrilled.

The Iamaleava debacle is making headlines, but more importantly, it’s reinforcing growing concerns about NIL in college sports. So much so that the University of Arkansas’ NIL collective, Arkansas Edge, is reportedly demanding around $200,000 from Madden, who entered the portal just after spring camp. This represents close to half of Madden’s alleged $500,000 contract, signed in December. Amidst calls for buyouts in college football athlete contracts, it would come as a surprise that many NIL contracts already have buyout clauses, though few have been enforced until now. So why the reluctance to enforce such provisions? For one, suing 18-19 year-olds does not reflect well on any school. However, the recent surge in contract breaches suggests this enforcement of such provisions might become commonplace. Given reports that Nico was under a three-year deal, he could potentially be the next subject of legal action especially in light of how he left Knoxville.

So, what is the answer? It’s no secret that the majority of college football fans are deeply frustrated with the current state of the sport, and there’s little appetite to see a perpetual free agency in college sports. Over the past year – and specifically in recent weeks – many now believe the only viable solution is granting college athletes employee status and implementing collective bargaining to ensure loyalty to schools. In NCAA v. Johnson, the Third Circuit allowed the athletes’ claims to proceed, as opposed to dismissing them outright. If successful, the athletes could reshape the landscape of college athletics. With athletes under employment status, schools would not hesitate to strictly enforce buyout provisions.

Moreover, the House v. NCAA offers a glimmer of hope and change. The proposed settlement includes $2.8 billion in back pay for current and former athletes, reduced roster sizes, and a new revenue-sharing model that allows schools to directly pay student-athletes. Considering the National Labor Relations Board generally governs unionization and collective bargaining, it appears employment status would be necessary for such changes to be made. However, there are plenty of critics to that approach, with many believing the NCAA should take the lead in implementing reforms on its own. Unfortunately, the NCAA might have missed the boat for leading on this issue, as implementing such changes could likely expose the organization to antitrust liability.

The final twist comes with the influence of the Trump administration and Republican control across all branches of government. Before former President Joe Biden left office, his administration issued in January of 2025, guidance stating that NIL compensation, even from third parties, should be distributed in a nondiscriminatory manner based on Title IX. Considering the Trump Administration has been less supportive of extensive regulation regarding NIL, it comes as no surprise that his administration rescinded the Title IX guidance issued from Biden.

The future of college football remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: it’s a full-blown disaster. Given the passion, camaraderie, and unity that comes with the sport, a solution must be hammered out soon, or we’ll keep seeing situations like the Iamaleava brothers popping up left and right - college football and college sports as a whole, deserve better.