'It was weird' - UCLA head coach Deshaun Foster doesn't understand one aspect of the drama surrounding Nico Iamaleava's transfer

UCLA head coach Deshaun Foster doesn't quite understand some of the drama surrounding quarterback Nico Iamaleava's departure from the Tennessee Vols earlier this spring. 

Specifically, Foster doesn't understand why folks are making noise about the NIL aspect of Iamaleava's departure from Tennessee. 

Shortly before Iamaleava left the Volunteers, a report from On3 surfaced that stated that the quarterback was in active NIL contract negotiations with Tennessee. 

At Big 10 Media Days this past week, Foster pointed out that other players around college football had made similar NIL demands and didn't face the same public scrutiny that Iamaleava's faced over the last several months. 

Foster also said that he doesn't think Iamaleava was making decisions based on Money. 

"I know there’s narratives being created that aren’t necessarily true or whatnot, but don’t worry about it, you’ll get your opportunity," said Foster when asked about his advice to Iamaleava in the face of criticism. "It’s just weird to me because a million kids got in the portal this offseason. Over a thousand, you know? And some for other reasons. You even had coaches say -- I think (Syracuse head coach) Fran (Brown) said that his guy wanted $2.4 [million] or something, his receiver. Nobody killed him for that. They’re paying kids now. You can get paid, so that’s part of it. But I don’t think that he’s making decisions off money. I don’t think so.”

Iamaleava said the reports about his NIL negotiations were "false", maintaining that he transferred to UCLA to be closer to his family. 

"Just false reports that made me not feel comfortable in the position I was in," said Iamaleava at Big 10 Media Days of his transfer to UCLA. "But in the back of my head, I always wanted to come back home

"I hope every Tennessee fan understands that. It was really one of the hardest decisions that I've ever had to make. But I had to do what was best for me and my family. Ultimately, I wanted to come back home and be close to my family." 

If Iamaleava's departure from Tennessee had happened in December, it probably wouldn't have been nearly as big of a national story. But because it played out very publicly in April, when not many high-profile players were entering the NCAA transfer portal, it became one of the most covered stories of the offseason. 

Iamaleava will look to change the narrative surrounding his college career when UCLA kicks off the season against Utah on August 30.