As Madden Iamaleava's exit plot thickens, Sam Pittman's Arkansas bags transfer portal QB to fill the gap

Nico and Madden Iamaleava, quarterback brothers, have caused a lot of noise in college football over the last few weeks. When news came out that then-Tennessee quarterback Nico planned to use the transfer portal, it came as a huge shock. However, the word spread even further when his younger brother, Madden, also entered the transfer portal.

Madden signed with the Arkansas Razorbacks in early December, enrolling in January. However, before he ever got a chance to play a game for Coach Sam Pittman, he entered the transfer portal on Monday. He committed to UCLA later that day, joining his brother on the Bruins.

To fill the quarterback void left by Madden, Pittman successfully snagged Florida State transfer QB Trevor Jackson in the portal on Thursday. Jackson comes to Arkansas with four years of eligibility remaining.

Madden Iamaleava was a four-star recruit in the 2025 recruiting class, according to 247 Sports. He was not a highly rated recruit like his brother, but was still the No. 20-ranked QB in his class.

Arkansas is seeking roughly $200,000 back from Madden Iamaleava after he decided to transfer

Madden Iamaleava's decision to transfer and follow his brother, Nico, to UCLA came as a surprise to college football fans and the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Razorbacks are not happy with the move and a report from insider Pete Nakos on Wednesday indicates that the Razorbacks are demanding $200,000 back from Iamaleava.

"NEW: Arkansas' NIL Collective is demanding roughly $200k back from transfer QB Madden Iamaleava," On3's post read.

Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek released a statement on Wednesday announcing his support of the leadership team pursuing reimbursement from Iamaleava.

"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.

"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."

It will be interesting to see if anything comes out from Arkansas' move and whether it sets a trend with transfer portal moves going forward.