FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Perhaps there is nothing more telling of the current times in college football than the Iamaleava family drama.
Just a couple of weeks ago there were two Iamaleava quarterbacks playing in the SEC. In mid-October, Tennessee quarterback Nico Imaleava and Arkansas quarterback Madden Imaleava were in line to meet up in Knoxville when the Volunteers and Razorbacks squared off in the sequel to the Hogs’ dramatic 19-14 upset of the No. 4 playoff bound Vols.
Now, just a three days after Arkansas wrapped its spring practices, neither player is in the SEC. It’s well documented that Nico tried to hold out at Tennessee in hopes the school would raise his NIL package to $4 million.
That move backfired as the Volunteers immediately moved on from him and prepared for the next man up as the spring game arrived. Nico is now headed for UCLA, reportedly for significantly less money than he was making at Tennessee.
As for Madden, he was rocketing up the depth chart at Arkansas. Despite being banned from playing football in California his senior year for what was ruled an illegal transfer, he looked sharp.
Madden’s natural instinct and arm talent instantly put him in contention for the back-up role. By the time spring practices concluded, he had shown enough for some to openly ponder if experience might be the only thing keeping him from legitimately competing for the starting job.
However, the anticipated year-long battle between Madden and redshirt freshman KJ Jackson to succeed Taylen Green as the next Arkansas quarterback has evaporated. What is expected to be the last spring transfer portal following a unanimous recommendation to the NCAA by college football coaches took that away.
The decision came so abruptly that very a very select few limited to the Imaleava family and the Arkansas football staff have the slightest clue as to why Madden is leaving Fayetteville for the portal. It wasn’t because his coach didn’t like him or opportunity.
As stated, Imaleava had pushed his way into a prime spot to be next year’s starter. As far as Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, he gushed over Imaleava, comparing him to former Petrino protege’ turned NFL superstar Lamar Jackson.
It technically could have been more money, but the odds of finding more money in the spring portal when teams have already used up most of their NIL capital is hard to come by and usually not worth the risk. Also, a large part of the bidding pool, arguably the highest end of it, is off the table because transferring to an SEC school is off the table in the spring window.
UCLA, the school from which he initially flipped, was seemingly no longer an option with Nico entrenched there now. However, there are reports that he has his sights set on joining Nico in Los Angeles, although nothing official has been announced as of this writing.
The one possible factor no one seems to be talking about for the potential move is that game at Tennessee. If it were taking place in Fayetteville, it wouldn’t even be a consideration, and it shouldn’t be a concern in Knoxville.
However, things got pretty nasty across the Volunteers fan base in the hours and days following Nico’s holdout and departure. It’s possible the Iamaleava family saw the things being said and thought about their younger son heading into Neyland Stadium with a target on his back.
It doesn’t take thinking too far back to remember how insane the scene was when Lane Kiffen returned there to an angry crowd. The game had to be stopped because everything within reach was being thrown onto the field at Kiffen and his players.
Water bottles, golf balls and even a bottle of mustard hurled from the stands down onto the Ole Miss sidelines. The game had to be halted for quite a while for one of the most grotesque displays of bad sportsmanship by any fan base.
It’s easy to relate a parent envisioning this scenario and wanting both sons safely under one roof near home.
For whatever reason the decision was made, what is left behind is a bit of a mess to deal with in regard to back-up quarterbacks Grayson Wilson and Jackson. Wilson was blindsided by the last second addition of Iamaleava back on signing day.
The other thing that remains is a lot of wasted time that could have been spent furthering the development of Jackson and Wilson. Precious reps were lost, setting both behind.
However, at this point, nothing can be done. Jackson and Wilson have beaten Iamaleava out at Arkansas and now must turn attention to one another to see who can grow into the team’s next official leader.
That is unless the transfer portal strikes again. After all, the window is open for a few more days and no one can really know what to expect anymore.
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