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Josh Heupel shares when he knew Tennessee would move on from Nico Iamaleava
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Josh Heupel took time to shed some light on the whirlwind weekend he and the Tennessee coaching staff experienced with regards to Nico Iamaleava.
On Thursday, news first broke that Iamaleava was attempting to re-negotiate his contract with Tennessee ahead of the spring portal window. On Friday morning, Iamaleava was a no-show at Tennessee’s final practice before the Orange & White game this weekend.
On Saturday morning, multiple insiders confirmed Tennessee’s plans to move on from Iamaleava this spring. At a press conference on Saturday afternoon, Josh Heupel was asked when he knew the Vols would be looking for a new quarterback this offseason.
As it turns out, Iamaleava skipping practice on Friday was the final straw.
“Friday morning, when he’s a no-show,” Heupel said. “You come off the practice field and there’s no communication.”
Heupel also confirmed on Saturday that Tennessee will pursue additional quarterback help via the portal this offseason. As things currently stand, Tennessee has 2 scholarship quarterbacks on the roster coming out of spring ball: Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre.
The spring transfer portal window will officially open on April 16.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
