Tennessee is moving on from starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, sources told ESPN, in the wake of his decision to not attend practice on Friday amid NIL contract discussions with the school.
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel informed the team at meetings Saturday morning. Tennessee plays its spring game Saturday afternoon. Sources said Iamaleava missing practice Friday proved to be the tipping point.
The standoff between the two sides stemmed from Iamaleava’s contract, and the school decided to cut ties after those talks emerged publicly this week and Iamaleava subsequently skipped practice.
Iamaleava just completed his redshirt freshman season, which means he’d have three seasons remaining at his next destination. The spring transfer portal opens Wednesday, and he is expected to be the most notable player available.
Iamaleava showed promise his first year as a starter, leading Tennessee to the College Football Playoff and a 10-3 season. He threw for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. He completed 63.8% of his passes.
The Vols’ offense finished No. 9 in the 16-team SEC in scoring offense last year in league play, and he was the league’s No. 10 quarterback in passing yards per game (200.6).
The move puts both Tennessee and Iamaleava in difficult situations heading into the 2025 season. Iamaleava’s departure leaves Tennessee with just two scholarship quarterbacks, neither of whom has started a college game, so there are going to be inevitable additions.
One factor looming over both sides is that SEC rules prohibit transferring within the conference in the spring if the player desires immediate eligibility. That means Iamaleava can’t go to an SEC school and no quarterback on an SEC roster can go to Tennessee if they hope to play in 2025.
Per ESPN sources, officials from Tennessee’s collective have already begun reaching out to third parties tied to potential Iamaleava replacements for 2025.
With Iamaleava’s future uncertain, collective officials began to make calls Friday to see what the potential market could look like. One quarterback got more money from his school Friday after Tennessee’s collective called third-party officials tied to him, a source told ESPN.
This move puts redshirt freshman backup quarterback Jake Merklinger in the driver’s seat to be Tennessee’s starter next year. It’s difficult, though not impossible, for a college quarterback to come in, learn the offense and win the starting job in summer camp. True freshman George MacIntyre is the backup and Tennessee has a Top 10 recruit in the class of 2026, Faizon Brandon, committed. He’s a five-star who is ESPN’s No. 3 overall quarterback.
The market for Iamaleava will be a fascinating one, especially if he’s seeking the same amount of money in the mid-$2 million range. While there’s available money in the system the next few months before the era of revenue share is codified, it’s difficult for a program to bring in a high-priced quarterback transfer in the late spring portal.
It not only is potentially disruptive for the current quarterback room, but also could disrupt the locker room. Also, many schools have their quarterback salaries structured for 2025.
The move to cut ties with Iamaleava has unfolded as classic tale of modern college football, as Iamaleava arrived at the school with a historic contract reported to be worth more than $8 million over the life of the deal.
He now leaves both Tennessee’s quarterback room and his own future shrouded in uncertainty.
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