Arkansas demanding money from Madden Iamaleava, others through NIL buyout

Arkansas‘ NIL collective sent two demand letters to players asking to fulfill buyout clauses, according to Front Office Sports. On3’s Pete Nakos confirmed the news.

“Arkansas’s NIL collective has sent two demand letters to players asking to fulfill buyout clauses, source tells Front Office Sports,” Amanda Christovich wrote on Twitter. “The AD’s comments yesterday were referring to multiple players who left before NIL contracts expired, including Madden Iamaleava.”

Nakos reported it’s related to two freshmen transfers, one being Madden Iamaleava. He’s expected to join brother Nico Iamaleava at UCLA, who left Tennessee earlier this month.

According to Nakos, Arkansas is demanding roughly $200,000 back from Madden Iamaleava. Iamaleava enrolled earlier this year and spent just a few months with the program.

Nakos reported Tuesday that NIL buyouts were coming from Arkansas. Athletic director Hunter Yurachek wanted those enforced following the transfers.

“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 a 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 in resolving these.”

While Yurachek chose not to single out one athlete, his decision to comment on NIL buyouts the day after Iamaleava’s departure is not a coincidence. A similar situation is playing out at Tennessee, where his brother, Nico, and the Volunteers have had a public divorce. Nico Iamaleava was set to make $2.4 million in 2025, instead, he’ll make less than that at UCLA.

Most schools now include buyouts in revenue-sharing contracts, or in NIL collective deals that are being transitioned to rev-share contracts this summer. Wisconsin defensive back Xavier Lucas transferred to Miami over the winter without entering the portal because the Badgers argued a revenue-sharing deal he signed included a buyout clause. Wisconsin has since indicated it might pursue legal action against Lucas.

Pete Nakos contributed to this report