Nico Iamaleava Era at Tennessee is Over

An insane 24 hours in Knoxville, Tennessee, have finally come to a resolution. According to On3 Sports, the Tennessee Volunteers and starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava have agreed to part ways amid contract disputes.

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Reports of contract disputes between Iamaleava and Tennessee surfaced on Thursday, and another report came on Friday morning that the Volunteers' starting quarterback skipped practice and had not communicated with Volunteer staff for a day and a half. Now, the two sides have parted ways, with the spring transfer portal window set to open next Wednesday.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reports that Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel held a team meeting on Saturday morning, before the team's spring game, to inform his players that the Volunteers were moving on from Iamaleava.

Iamaleava was reportedly making between $2.2 million-$2.5 million based on his current contract with the Volunteers. The 2024 starter wanted to increase his compensation to the $4 million range after leading the Volunteers to a 10-3 record last season and a College Football Playoff appearance.

In 2024, Iamaleava completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns. 11 of his 19 touchdowns came against Chattanooga, UTEP, and Vanderbilt.

In Tennessee's win over Alabama on October 19, Iamaleava completed 51.8 percent of his passes for 194 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one fumble, but did lead Tennessee to a 24-17 win over the Tide.

Tennessee now has two scholarship quarterbacks on their roster: redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.