One day after Nico Iamaleava reportedly didn’t attend the Tennessee Volunteers’ team practice ahead of their annual spring game, the program is saying “so long” to its starting quarterback.
Amid a name, image and likeness (NIL) dispute with Iamaleava, head coach Josh Heupel informed the Volunteers that they’re “moving on” from their quarterback, ESPN reported on Saturday morning.
“It’s the state of college football,” Heupel told the Vol Network ahead of the team’s spring game. “At the end of the day, no one’s ever bigger than the program. That includes me too, and we got an opportunity. We got a bunch of guys that are going to give their all for Tennessee, and we move forward, got a great group. Let’s go compete.”
According to the report, Iamaleava had been seeking a new NIL contract with Tennessee in the ballpark of a $2 million raise, with his absence coming as a “surprise” to players and coaches. His absence at practice was considered a “tipping point.” He’s now expected to enter the spring transfer portal, which opens on Wednesday, April 16.
While holding out during contract negotiations isn’t new in the wider world of sports, this is not common practice in college football. The recent existence of contracts between players and schools, though, in a world where NIL deals are at the center of so much player movement meant that this was an inevitability. Iamaleava has been given a new tool to wield that many generations of players before him did not have access to, and it appears that he’s wielding it.
Given that, this could very well be the start of a trend with such a bright spotlight on the transfer portal and NIL dollars in college athletics.
Iamaleava was Tennessee’s starting quarterback during the 2024 season. He played in all 13 games, helping lead the Vols a 10-3 record that ended with a loss in the first round of the College Football Playoff against eventual champion Ohio State. Iamaleava averaged over 200 yards passing per game, picked up another 27.5 yards per game rushing and threw 19 touchdowns with five interceptions. He was expected to be among the top returning quarterbacks in the SEC next season, only furthering the idea that this holdout could be the start of something larger in college football.
In 2024, UNLV’s starting quarterback, Matthew Sluka, chose to redshirt for the rest of the season after revealing that “representations” made to him by the school “were not upheld” following his transfer from Holy Cross. Like with Iamaleava, that was an NIL conflict that sent shockwaves through the sport.
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