Nico Iamaleava’s Tennessee football career is over after NIL dispute, holdout
Nico Iamaleava’s apparent NIL dispute and holdout, which became public this week ahead of Tennessee football’s spring game, has forced Vols coach Josh Heupel to move on without his starting QB.
Tennessee football is looking for a new starting quarterback ahead of the 2025 season, and Nico Iamaleava will be looking for a new school.
Iamaleava’s college career with the Volunteers is over after coach Josh Heupel informed the team Saturday morning that the program is moving forward without him, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Knoxville News Sentinel. The person, according to the outlet, requested anonymity because Heupel has not addressed the matter publicly.
A Tennessee football spokesperson told the News Sentinel, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, that Iamaleava will not attend the school’s Orange and White spring game on Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium. Heupel is expected to address the situation following the game.
It’s a stunning turn of events after Iamaleava’s issues with his NIL compensation at Tennessee surfaced in recent days. The former five-star recruit and his representatives reportedly wanted to renegotiate Iamaleava’s deal with the NCAA expected to approve revenue sharing with schools starting next season. Iamaleava was set to be paid more than $2 million per year, according to reports when his NIL deal was signed in 2022.
The 6-foot-6 dual-threat quarterback did not attend Tennessee’s final spring practice on Friday, a move that was viewed as an apparent holdout typically seen during contract disputes in the NFL and other professional sports.
The spring transfer portal for college football opens on Wednesday, April 16. Iamaleava, a former consensus five-star prospect who was considered the No. 1 overall 2023 recruit in the country by On3.com, is expected to enter the transfer portal after his dispute with Tennessee. He had a solid but unspectacular first season as the Volunteers’ full-time starter at quarterback, completing 63.8% of his passes for 2,616 yards 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. The Long Beach, California native also ran for 358 yards and three touchdowns.