A new report on quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s relationship with Tennessee suggests issues existed between the two sides long before he ultimately decided to leave the program.
A new story from Chris Low, Max Olson and Adam Rittenberg of ESPN suggests Iamaleava’s representatives reached out to Tennessee’s NIL collective as early as Dec. 28 to discuss a pay increase. Tennessee sources believe Iamaleava and his camp were shopping the quarterback to the likes of Miami, Ole Miss and Oregon during that period.
Iamaleava also reportedly missed two offseason workouts in February over continued frustration regarding his NIL deal. In March, staff members at Oregon told Tennessee officials that Iamaleava’s camp had reached out to the Ducks to gauge their interest in the quarterback.
The situation escalated toward the end of spring practice, when Iamaleava was heard telling a teammate that he planned to enter the transfer portal. Coach Josh Heupel met with Iamaleava after being alerted to the remark, and the quarterback assured Heupel that it was only “a bunch of rumors.”
The next day, reports emerged about Tennessee’s ongoing negotiations with Iamaleava. The quarterback blamed Tennessee or the NIL collective for the leak and lost trust in the school. He was a no-show at practice the next day, feeling “betrayed,” and decided to enter the transfer portal as a result.
Essentially, the story suggests that Tennessee believed Iamaleava was looking for a way out long before he actually left. Iamaleava and his camp still feel that he is being scapegoated by Tennessee, and maintain that the Vols’ failure to significantly improve the roster was a bigger factor in his decision to leave than finances were.
Iamaleava ultimately wound up at UCLA, and suggested that he had not necessarily intended to leave Tennessee as soon as he did. The Vols might dispute that last claim, but the damage had already been done.
