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Josh Heupel Breaks Silence on Nico Iamaleava's Departure From Tennessee

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kevin Borba | Last updated Apr 12, 2025 2:37 PM ET

The sport of college football was blindsided over the past couple of days thanks to a development coming out of Knoxville regarding Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

The former five-star who led the team to a 10-3 record and College Football Playoff this past season, was reportedly pushing the school to up his pay to $4 million. A request that according to multiple reports, the program was not willing to meet. This ultimately led to Iamaleava skipping Tennessee's Friday practice, and on Saturday it was confirmed by ESPN's Pete Thamel Tennessee would be "moving on" from him.

In addition to the madness, Tennessee had its spring game on Saturday. Head coach Josh Heupel was asked about the situation prior to the Orange and White game, and made his feelings quite clear.

"Man, listen, it’s the state of college football,” Heupel said. “At the end of the day, no one is ever bigger than the program. That includes me, too. We’ve got an opportunity. We’ve got a bunch of guys that will give their all for Tennessee. We move forward. Got a great group. Let’s go compete.”

In his lone season as the starter for the Vols, Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards and 18 touchdowns to just five interceptions. According to PFF, he graded out as the No. 86 quarterback in college football, posting an overall grade of 78.3.

With him leaving the program through the spring window, his list of schools is automatically 15 schools smaller, as the SEC forbids transfers within the conference during this transfer window.

As a recruit, the California native racked up nearly 30 offers, but ended up choosing the Vols over programs like Alabama, USC, Georgia, Notre Dame and Oregon.

According to a report by 247Sports, there have been "mixed messages" on Iamaleava possibly ending up at USC or UCLA. The report also revealed that Texas Tech is not planning to pursue him.

So, it appears that at this time, a wild card program will emerge for his services.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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