Arkansas NIL collective calls on prominent lawyer to enforce Madden Iamaleava buyout clause amid transfer

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas’ name, image and likeness collective has hired an attorney to pursue and enforce a buyout clause in former quarterback Madden Iamaleava’s agreement, CBS Sports has learned.

In an unprecedented move in the NIL era of college sports, the parent company overseeing the Arkansas Edge collective has hired noted sports attorney Tom Mars to enforce buyout provisions in NIL contracts at Arkansas, Blueprint Sports CEO Rob Sine confirmed Saturday to CBS Sports. The collective is following the orders of Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek, who directed the collective to pursue buyout money in contracts broken by players in an insistent statement released Tuesday, just two hours after Iamaleava entered the transfer portal.

The two former Arkansas players targeted in the initial legal efforts are Iamaleava and former receiver Dazmin James, sources told CBS Sports. A meeting between Iamaleava’s representatives and Blueprint Sports’ legal team is expected early this week.

Iamaleava signed a one-year contract with Arkansas worth roughly $500,000 in January, according to people familiar with the deal. The contract included a provision requiring Iamaleava to pay the collective 50% of the money remaining on the agreement should he leave the school. He was due $400,000 in remaining payments, which amounts to a buyout of $200,000, a source told CBS Sports.

James didn’t record a catch at Arkansas until a breakout performance in the Liberty Bowl, where he caught three passes for 137 yards and a touchdown — a 94-yard reception and school record — in the Hogs’ 39-26 victory against Texas Tech. James entered the portal four days later and transferred to Cal in January.

Mars, who is based in Arkansas, has been at the center of several notable NCAA legal affairs over the last decade. He recently represented Tennessee‘s NIL collective in its fight against the NCAA, when it investigated potential NIL violations tied to Nico Iamaleava in early 2024.

It’s not uncommon for players to enroll in schools in January only to enter the transfer portal before ever playing in a game. However, for the first time, schools have taken an interest in enforcing new buyout clauses in NIL contracts. Now, legal battles between collectives and former players may become part of the ever-changing world of college athletics as it continues to shift toward a professional model.

Hundreds of players — and their former schools — have ignored buyout language in NIL contracts as all parties await revenue sharing tied to the House v. NCAA settlement — to take effect on July 1. The question of whether these NIL contracts are legal has sparked debate in legal circles, contributing to schools’ hesitancy to sue players.

On the heels of the saga involving Nico and Madden Iamaleava, multiple schools have become more inclined and are re-evaluating legal action against former players who do not honor their contracts, sources told CBS Sports.

The saga of the Brothers Iamaleava has muddied the canvas. Earlier this month, Nico became the first high-profile player to hold out of team activities amid a contract dispute. Hours later, Tennessee moved on from its starting quarterback who led the Vols to the College Football Playoff. 

Arkansas puts departed QB Madden Iamaleava in its crosshairs by encouraging NIL collective to recoup buyout

Brandon Marcello

One day after Nico signed with UCLA on Easter Sunday, Madden informed the Arkansas coaches that he was homesick and wanted to enter the transfer portal, a person familiar with the decision told CBS Sports. The Iamaleava family, including Nico, visited Madden in Fayetteville to watch the Razorbacks’ spring game, which was canceled due to severe weather, 48 hours before Madden alerted coaches he was leaving the program.

“The portal, and I know Nico was high-profile, but I don’t want to blame the players, I don’t, for leaving,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman told reporters Thursday. “I mean, you could say, ‘Well, he was here three months and blah, blah, blah,’ but the opportunity to leave is there twice a year. The (opportunity) to leave for more money is there twice a year. I’m not positive what we all would do in that situation.”

Madden’s recruiting story might not be as dramatic as his older brother’s NIL negotiations and subsequent departure from Tennessee, but it did spark national interest as he left Arkansas — intending to follow his sibling to UCLA — before ever playing for the Razorbacks. 

Madden initially committed to UCLA in May 2024 but flipped to Arkansas in a surprise announcement on National Signing Day in December. NIL contracts at Arkansas commonly include language requiring players to reimburse 50% of the remaining money on their deal if they leave for another school, according to documents reviewed by CBS Sports. Madden Iamaleava had roughly eight months remaining on his contract.

Arkansas snagged the industry’s attention Tuesday when Yurachek became the first athletics director to direct an NIL collective to enforce buyout clauses in players’ contracts.

“I have spoken with the leadership team at Arkansas Edge and expressed my support in their pursuit to enforce their rights under any agreement violated by our student-athletes moving forward,” Yurachek said in the statement. “We appreciate Edge’s investment in our student-athletes and acknowledge the enforcement of these agreements is vital in our new world of college athletics. 

“We look forward to continued dialogue with all parties resolving these matters.”

One NIL contract dispute will not bankrupt a multi-million-dollar NIL collective, but multiple players departing without paying buyouts could erode the school’s negotiating power with future players. Arkansas leads the SEC with 34 players transferring out of the program since December.

Meanwhile, tampering continues to be a problem across college football. Players not in the portal are contacted daily to gauge their interest. 

The state of Arkansas’ NIL laws have been relatively aggressive in recent years as the state tries to help its flagship university evolve with the landscape. In a 2023 amendment, the Arkansas Publicity Rights Act gave the University of Arkansas the power to attack tampering and sue agents, coaches and other third parties who “give or promise compensation” for the use of a player’s NIL if that player has already signed an enrollment contract at a university in Arkansas.

On Friday, the state signed into law a bill exempting players’ NIL contracts from state taxes.