Arkansas demand $200,000 payback from Madden Iamaleava as the Joey Aguilar - Nico Iamaleava swap triggers the NIL war
The Arkansas Razorbacks are now looking to get their money back after Madden Imaleava, Nico Imaleava's younger brother, changed from Fayetteville for Los Angeles in a spring transfer to UCLA. The younger Imaleava enrolled at Arkansas in January of this year and transferred to UCLA on April 21st.
The Hogs, through their "Arkansas Edge" collective, are looking to get back Iamaleava's $200,000 buyout. Here's what the Razorbacks athletic director, Hunter Yuracheck said on Wednesday:
"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 noted.
"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."
Madden Imaleava was a four-star recruit and the 20th-best quarterback in the class of 2024, according to 247Sports. His departure is an important setback for an SEC school that rarely gets to recruit high-profile players.
His transfer comes amidst Nico Iamaleava's transfer from the Volunteers to UCLA, which reportedly triggered Joey Aguilar's transfer to Tennessee as an essential swap.
It's uncertain if Arkansas will be able to enforce the buyout clause. It seems clauses were included in his contract that allow the collective to go after players who don't uphold their NIL deals, but the enforceability remains a matter of some discussion and could have to be decided by a judge. This would be a first in college sports.
Hunter Yuracheck on Arkansas enforcing NIL buyouts
Following Imaleava's decision to leave the Arkansas Razorbacks, atheltic director Hunter Yuracheck released a statement which included the following stark warning for any player expecting to pool the wool over the Hogs eyes.
“If a student-athlete violates their NIL agreement, Arkansas EDGE will pursue enforcement of that contract,” Yurachek explained. “This is not a threat- it’s a standard of accountability that must exist for NIL to thrive long-term.”
This is an important strategy for Arkansas, else they risk not seeming like a serious player in their recruiting.