Tennessee is moving on from starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, ending a high-stakes standoff that had engulfed the program just days before the spring transfer portal window opens, sources confirmed to CBS Sports.
Iamaleava’s departure, just months after leading Tennessee to the College Football Playoff in his debut as a starter, follows a strange day of tension between the two sides, including a skipped practice on Friday that sources said was not communicated to the coaching staff in advance.
Iamaleava, who was ranked as the No. 2 player nationally in the 2023 recruiting class, was the face of one of the most prominent NIL commitments of the early Name, Image and Likeness era. Tennessee’s affiliated collective reportedly struck a deal worth $8 million while recruiting Iamaleava out of Southern California, and university officials, including Chancellor Donde Plowman, staunchly defended the quarterback during an NCAA inquiry into his eligibility.
That level of institutional support, however, has eroded in recent days. ESPN reported Friday that Iamaleava’s camp was seeking a new NIL package worth around $4 million annually — nearly double his original deal. While representatives close to the quarterback publicly denied the existence of negotiations to CBS Sports, the internal mood inside Tennessee’s program shifted quickly. Sources described the team as “fed up,” with coaches frustrated by both the optics and the timing of the dispute, just one day before the team’s Orange & White spring game.
Iamaleava’s statistical output in 2024 was solid, if not spectacular. He completed 63.8% of his passes for 2,614 yards and 19 touchdowns with five interceptions. In Tennessee’s 10 wins, his efficiency rating soared to 165.3. But in three losses, that number plummeted to 93.6, with just 143 passing yards per game and a completion percentage under 55%.
Despite his pedigree and potential, there’s uncertainty around how strong the quarterback market will be for a player exiting after one year as a full-time starter.
Tennessee, meanwhile, is expected to explore a mix of internal and external options. Redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and early enrollee George MacIntyre are considered long-term answers in Knoxville, but both are relatively untested. The Vols could also pursue a stopgap veteran via the portal or swing big and use its freed up NIL dollars to lure a bigger fish.
The resolution, while sudden, reflects a growing reality in college football: quarterback stability is fragile, and public negotiations come with risk for both sides. In this case, Tennessee made clear it would not be strong-armed — even by the player it once built its future around.
