Arkansas quarterback Madden Iamaleava, the younger brother of ex-Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, has entered the transfer portal, a team source told The Athletic.
Iamaleava, a four-star incoming freshman and native of Long Beach, Calif., enrolled at Arkansas in January. He had been committed to UCLA for seven months before decommitting from UCLA and committing to Arkansas on Dec. 4, during the early signing period.
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His father, Nic Iamaleava, told 247Sports they committed to UCLA without visiting the campus. He had been one of the top prospects in first-year coach DeShaun Foster’s incoming recruiting class.
Madden Iamaleava’s entrance into the portal comes a day after his older brother announced plans to sign with UCLA after transferring from Tennessee. On Sunday, UCLA announced Nico Iamaleava’s arrival to the program.
“This decision was incredibly difficult, and truthfully, not something I expected to make this soon. But I trust God’s timing, and I believe He’s leading me where I need to be,” Iamaleava said in an Instagram post.
Nico Iamaleava signed a four-year deal worth around $8 million in 2022 when he was still a high school senior. This offseason, Iamaleava’s representatives asked Tennessee to restructure his contract and were ultimately rebuffed. On April 11, a day before Tennessee’s spring game, Iamaleava didn’t show up for the Volunteers’ practice. The following day, Heupel said the program was moving on from the returning starter at quarterback.
As for Madden Iamaleava, he and three-star receiver Jace Brown, who also flipped from UCLA and signed with Arkansas on Dec. 4, left Warren High School for Long Beach Poly three games into the 2024 season. Nic Iamaleava told the Press Telegram that the decision was built around receiving different coaching and improving the chemistry between the pass-catch combo. Neither played a game at Long Beach Poly after being ruled ineligible.
(Photo of Nico Iamaleava (10) playing for Warren High School in 2023: Ventura County Star / Imagn Images)
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