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The Tennessee Volunteers made the shocking decision to kick star quarterback Nico Iamaleava off the team on Saturday after the two sides failed to come to an agreement on a new NIL deal. News of a disagreement between the two sides first came to light via a report from Pete Nakos of On3 Sports on Wednesday. Iamaleava’s father denied the report shortly after, but Nakos and On3 doubled down on their reporting.
“More games being played off the field than on the field. B—- Nakos from On3 Sports called and asked me directly, I told him I had no idea on what he’s talking about,” Iamaleava’s father tweeted. “He said his ‘close source’ that he trusts with his life from the University of Tennessee staff gave him this information. So y’all can ask them what’s going on, cuz it ain’t from us!”
Now it appears that Nakos was, at least to some degree, correct. ESPN’s Pete Thamel revealed Saturday morning that head coach Josh Heupel informed his team of the decision to move on from Iamaleava, who missed both practices and meetings on Friday.
Breaking: Tennessee is moving on from starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Tennessee coach Josh Heupel informed the team of the decision at a team meeting. Iamaleava missed meetings and practice on Friday, which was the driver of this decision, sources told @PeteThamel. pic.twitter.com/onxbkJKNJV
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) April 12, 2025
Indications that the two sides might part ways came to light on Saturday morning when Iamaleava removed all references to the Vols from his Instagram account. But most fans assumed the two sides would eventually come to an agreement on a new NIL deal.
While Iamaleava struggled last season against top-25 opponents, there will undoubtedly be a long line of suitors for the former five-star prospect.