I think Nico felt confident UT would meet his demands. UT had built the system around him, and he was the only real star returning. The fanbase was also all in on Nico, and that fact was not lost on him. He probably felt as though the coaches were scared to upset us. Also note that in the weeks leading up to this, the sports media (USA Today, Yahoo Sports, etc) were posting articles that pretty much said that Tennessee would be crazy to let him get away. US Today Sports wrote, "Unless Tennessee wants to intentionally crater its program, it will pay what Iamaleava wants." You know Nico and his crew, especially his father, read those stories. I sense it was his support group, especially his father, that was pushing this, not so much Nico. He is too young to be thinking strategically like this. I think he genuinely loved UT and was loyal, but the folks around him convinced him that they could get him a better deal. He probably thought they were smart enough to get it done, so he let them try. I'm glad CJH rejected him and sent him packing, and I look forward to what's coming.
On a side note, I'm guessing he was shocked when UT announced they were moving on without him. I bet he had some pretty heated discussions with his crew. He's probably not feeling real good right now, staring at the prospect of playing for Texas Tech or Indiana.