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Nico Iamaleava saga: College football analyst reports latest on eve of spring game
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Tennessee is suddenly in a fight to keep starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava with the spring game set for Saturday. Andy Staples with On3 Sports reported the latest on Friday evening, and it was not immediately promising.
News began to break on Friday that Iamaleava was pushing for a bump in his NIL contract to remain with the program, something he reportedly attempted to do during the winter transfer portal window. While his father publicly shot down the rumor, the QB was reportedly not in attendance for Friday’s practice at Tennessee, with reports of “multiple” power programs pushing for the star QB.
According to Staples’s latest, Tennessee has had no contact with Iamaleava or his camp as of Friday afternoon. That’s a particularly dicey situation with the spring game set for Saturday.
“He was at the offensive coordinator’s house (Thursday night),” said Staples. “They had a dinner for there QB group, so we’re talking about less than 18 hours ago, he was very much in the fold. And then he was not at practice.”
So, what happens if Iamaleava were to leave? Staples was also quick to predict there would be a fairly prominent QB hit the portal with a “do not contact,” ultimately bound for Knoxville in the future. That is all speculation at this point, but it’s not a great position for Josh Huepel and his staff with spring ball about to wrap up.
RELATED: Should Iamaleava leave, Tennessee’s shifting QB picture is bound to shape the outlook for 2025. Stay locked into the best Tennessee sports betting apps for the latest odds and offers.
With or without Iamaleava, Tennessee will hit Neyland Stadium on Saturday at 2 pm ET for the spring game. If Iamaleava is indeed absent, it will only further the ongoing saga with questions about his status moving forward.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
