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College football fans, media react to Tennessee’s reported decision on Nico Iamaleava
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Tennessee’s reported decision to move on from starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava in the midst of an NIL dispute sent the college football world into a frenzy Saturday morning.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, head coach Josh Heupel informed the rest of the Vols at a team meeting that Tennessee was indeed moving on from Iamaleava. Reports surfaced this week that the star quarterback was looking for an increase to his NIL package, and he was absent from Tennessee’s practice and meetings on Friday.
Iamaleava originally came to the program as a 5-star prospect and landed the starting job in 2024. During his first year as a starter, Iamaleava showed plenty of promise and flashes, though Tennessee had no intentions of boosting his NIL package prior to the start of 2025.
Instead, Iamaleava is now expected to enter the transfer portal when the spring window opens next week. It is a stunning move for a team and QB that advanced to the College Football Playoff last season and was likely expected to contend for a return trip this fall.
RELATED: How will Tennessee’s 2025 odds shift following Iamaleava’s departure? Stay locked into the Tennessee betting apps for all the latest.
Across the country, many fans and media are left wondering if this will be the new norm in the era of NIL payments, official revenue sharing and transfer portal movement, and the decision could produce a massive ripple effect for the 2025 season. Here’s a glimpse at how social media chimed in to the news:
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
