Tennessee is moving on from starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, sources told ESPN, in the wake of his decision to not attend practice Friday amid NIL contract discussions with the school.
Volunteers 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.
Iamaleava notified offensive coordinator Joey Halzle late Friday night that he was in the process of filling out his paperwork and planned to enter the transfer portal when it opens Wednesday, sources told ESPN's Chris Low. Heupel and other staff members had been trying to reach Iamaleava and his representatives to no avail after he missed practice and meetings earlier Friday, sources said.
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.
Tennessee was aware that Iamaleava's representatives had reached out to at least one other school, Oregon, prior to the start of spring practice, sources told ESPN, but Oregon said it wasn't interested.
The day before the winter portal ended in January, Iamaleava's representatives asked for his deal to increase to the $4 million range, but Tennessee didn't redo his deal.
"We weren't going to flinch this time either," a source told ESPN.
Iamaleava was making $2.4 million on a contract that was reported to be $8 million when he signed it. But he started receiving payments when he was still in high school, and the total value of the contract would have been closer to $10 million over the life of the deal, sources told ESPN.
Iamaleava just completed his redshirt freshman season, which means he would 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 5 interceptions. He completed 63.8% of his passes.
The Volunteers' offense finished No. 9 in the 16-team SEC in scoring offense last year in league play, and Iamaleava was the conference'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.
Sources said 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 is a five-star recruit who is ESPN's No. 3 overall quarterback.
The market for Iamaleava will be a fascinating one, especially if he is seeking the same amount of money (in the mid-$2 million range). While there is 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 quarterback transfer with high-priced NIL demands in the late spring portal.
It not only is potentially disruptive for the current quarterback room, but it 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 he arrived at the school with a historic contract and now leaves both Tennessee's quarterback room and his own future shrouded in uncertainty.