On Thursday, Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava sent shockwaves through college football when reports surfaced that he was in active negotiations with the Volunteers.
With this negotiation process happening just ahead of the spring transfer portal window, the report has some extra juice—could it lead to one of the better starting quarterbacks in the SEC hitting the transfer portal?
The initial report from On3’s Pete Nakos said that it’s currently unclear if the negotiations would impact whether he’ll enter the spring transfer portal, but on Friday, it appears we’re one step closer to that possibility.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Iamaleava did not attend Tennessee spring practice on Friday morning, and also says that his no show came as a surprise to the program.
Talk about spicy offseason drama.
Now, it’s not uncommon for agents to leak information like this in order to press negotiations in their favor, but in college football, something like this is unheard of—especially with a player of Iamaleava’s stature.
Iamaleava is entering his sophomore season and spent his entire freshman year as the starter in Knoxville in 2024.
Over 13 games, Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns with five interceptions, adding 358 yards and three scores on the ground.
The Volunteers finished the 2024 season with a 10-3 record and a third-place finish in the SEC. They’ll open the 2025 season against Syracuse on August 30, 2025.
