Nico Iamaleava entered the transfer portal in search of more NIL money. According to his father, the former five-star quarterback has already received offers greater than what he was getting at Tennessee.

The way this saga continues to unfold is unlike anything we have seen before.

Iamaleava, the No. 2-ranked player in the college football recruiting Class of 2023, signed the biggest NIL deal of all-time as a senior in high school. He supposedly received a six-figure signing bonus prior to his arrival to campus in Knoxville. The Volunteers paid him north of $2 million as a freshman — to play only four games in garbage time behind Joe Milton and to start the bowl game. They paid him a similar number for last season, when they reached the College Football Playoff.

If the general numbers are correct, Iamaleava got paid approximately $16,600 per pass attempt (or more) in 2023 and 2024. That apparently was not enough.

Guys like Carson Beck and Darian Mensah are getting paid approximately $4 million per year at Georgia and Tulane, respectively. Iamaleava’s father wanted his son to be in that same pay range so he went shopping for a better deal at other schools. An agent is not involved here. It is only his dad.

One thing led to another and Tennessee found out about the elder Iamaleava’s shenanigans. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning refuses to deny that he was the one who tipped off Josh Heupel.