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Tennessee fan blasts Nico Iamaleava’s exit: ‘He Lane Kiffin’d us’
By Mark Kern
Published:
Tennessee fans are going through it right now as quarterback Nico Iamaleava will no longer be the quarterback for the Volunteers next season.
Coach Josh Heupel announced on Saturday that the team was moving on after the quarterback tried to get more money in the NIL. He was reportedly scheduled to make $2.2 million this season, but his camp went to Tennessee trying to get more money.
As you can imagine, the fans aren’t thrilled to have their quarterback transferring out, and they feel betrayed. One of those fans was being interviewed ahead of Saturday’s spring game, and he compared it to when Lane Kiffin left the Volunteers.
“I want somebody who is going to give blood, sweat and tears on the field,” the fan said. “I want them to represent us fans. Somebody that we are proud to come and see. I hate that for him, you know, somebody that is putting money before loyalty. That is exactly what he is doing. He Lane Kiffin’d us. He left in the middle of the night for a sweeter deal. That’s okay. We got better talent coming, and as long as we can keep that talent coming, the Tennessee program will be at the top again.”
Lane Kiffin left Tennessee after 1 season in 2010 to become the head coach at USC. That decision caused a ton of anger in Knoxville, as they thought they had their coach for a long time. When Kiffin brought Ole Miss to Tennessee in 2021, the game ended with the fans throwing bottles as he walked off the field after the Rebels’s win.
It is still unknown where Iamaleava will go, as he can’t transfer to an SEC program with immediate eligibility for the 2025 season due to the SEC’s spring transfer portal rules. There have been college fans all across the country this year disappointed with a player on their team leaving. However, this is the biggest name to have this type of dispute, and the Tennessee fans won’t soon forget this.
