KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Thursday evening, Tennessee’s quarterbacks came together for their annual tradition, with Nico Iamaleava in attendance.
During their off day before Saturday’s spring game, Tennessee’s quarterbacks gathered around the table at the home of quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle. His wife, Cara, prepared tacos. While it was mainly a regular gathering, earlier in the day, reports surfaced about returning starter Iamaleava being in negotiations for a new contract. He had nearly ushered in the era of school-affiliated collectives investing heavily in recruits after signing an $8 million deal with Tennessee as a high school senior for his name, image, and likeness.
A few hours after the initial report, Iamaleava’s father publicly criticized both the report and the journalist, denying that any negotiations were occurring just a week before the 10-day spring transfer portal window opened.
“More games are being played off the field than on the field,” he posted on X.
This situation unfolded in a whirlwind 72 hours that culminated in the Volunteers announcing their separation from their starting quarterback following a contract dispute that could reshape the dynamics of college sports, extending impacts far beyond Tennessee. Just three years after signing a groundbreaking deal, Iamaleava became college football’s first high-profile, public holdout.
Tennessee had been conducting its spring practices quietly, primarily focused on typical position battles and rebuilding a defense and offensive backfield that were losing key stars to the NFL.
Iamaleava was involved during this time, and aside from a few minor details, there were not many indicators that a split was near. Tennessee hoped he would surpass a second-year starter set to earn $2.2 million in the final year of a four-year contract that began compensating him as a high school senior.
After Tennessee’s 2024 season concluded in Columbus, Ohio, with a significant loss to the eventual national champion Ohio State in the first round of the 12-team College Football Playoff, Iamaleava’s camp considered the possibility of transferring, including discussions with representatives at Miami, who eventually signed Georgia transfer Carson Beck for over $3 million.
As Tennessee’s spring season neared its end, Iamaleava’s camp, along with family friend and former Florida personnel staffer Cordell Landers, maintained that nothing was unfolding.
“The family is content (with Tennessee),” Landers told CBS Sports. “There are no (contract negotiations); they’re satisfied with the contract as it stands.”
However, it soon became evident that this wasn’t entirely accurate, despite the public denials. A source familiar with the situation revealed that Tennessee officials were frustrated with the ongoing negotiations but remained hopeful for a positive outcome. Iamaleava, lacking an agent, was having negotiations handled primarily by his father and Landers.
On Friday morning, following Iamaleava’s father’s post, Tennessee held its final practice before the Orange & White Game on Saturday.
The starting quarterback was absent.
Iamaleava had not notified Tennessee of his intentions to skip practice, according to a team source. Staff members were unable to reach him throughout Friday.
When Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel concluded practice, he was informed there had still been no communication from Iamaleava.
At that moment, Heupel decided that the program would move forward without Iamaleava, who had had mixed results in his initial year as a starting redshirt freshman. He threw 19 touchdown passes, with six occurring in six games against SEC bowl teams; four of those six were in the season finale against Vanderbilt. In three consecutive midseason games against Arkansas, Florida, and Alabama, the Vols were unable to score in the first half. Tennessee fought back to defeat rivals Alabama and Florida, reaching the Playoff largely bolstered by a defense ranked fifth nationally in yards per play and running back Dylan Sampson’s record 22 touchdowns.
Iamaleava performed well, but his performance was not sufficient for Tennessee’s staff and collective to meet a demand approaching the top of the quarterback market at $4 million, according to a source familiar with the discussions. They emphasized that no significant negotiations evolved from the situation.
“I’m proud of the stand we took as a university,” former Tennessee coach and athletic director Phillip Fulmer told The Athletic.
Iamaleava’s sudden holdout and departure will have lasting ramifications in the sport. (Photo: Lance King / Getty Images)
Iamaleava’s absence on Friday pushed the relationship between him and Tennessee to an irreversible point, even if he could mend ties with the coaching staff and Heupel felt compelled to welcome back his starting quarterback.
“On Friday, he lost the locker room,” noted one program source.
Quarterbacks Jake Merklinger and early enrollee George MacIntyre, both present at the Thursday dinner, discovered Iamaleava’s absence during practice, just like the rest of their teammates: when he didn’t show.
“I’ve been part of teams that have been incredibly talented but struggled because of individual issues,” said Alabama transfer tight end Miles Kitselman, who caught four touchdown passes from Iamaleava last year, more than any returning player. He expressed his desire to compete alongside the players Iamaleava left behind.
Iamaleava’s multiyear contract is uncommon; most players typically sign one-year deals. His original contract from March 2022, established during the early days of NIL, was drafted while the NCAA’s pay-for-play ban still seemed enforceable. Although there is no explicit requirement for him to play for the Vols to receive his funds, it includes a standard integrity clause that permits termination if the player fails to “conduct himself in a manner reflecting utmost character and integrity.” The collective also negotiated exclusive use of his NIL rights until the end of the contract term on December 31, 2025. This implies that for another school to pay for his NIL rights, Iamaleava would need to terminate the agreement himself.
More recent NIL contracts offer collectives an option if a player transfers and sometimes even include a buyout clause.
In the three years since Iamaleava’s record-breaking multiyear deal was signed in March 2022, he has been surpassed by at least a dozen other quarterbacks and would rank significantly below the highest-paid players at his position in 2025. Simultaneously, Tennessee mounted a legal defense to safeguard his eligibility while the NCAA sought to limit athletes from signing NIL deals while still in high school. The university sought the assistance of the state’s attorney general, among others, to secure an injunction that allowed Iamaleava to stay on the field and opened new avenues for revenue in locker rooms across the nation.
These efforts have put Tennessee back in the market for a quarterback as the spring transfer portal window opens on Wednesday. Merklinger is currently the assumed starter.
“With only two scholarship players at the quarterback position, we need to acquire another guy,” Heupel stated.
Among 247Sports’ top eight quarterbacks in the Class of 2023, Texas’ Arch Manning is now the only one who hasn’t transferred since signing with his high school.
Where Iamaleava will go next remains uncertain. Transferring to another SEC school is highly questionable, as he wouldn’t be immediately eligible due to a conference rule prohibiting immediate eligibility for intraconference transfers who enter the portal after February 1.
A potential return to Southern California seems plausible. UCLA director of player personnel Stacey Ford coached at Warren High School in Downey, California, where Nico, a Long Beach native, excelled. Appalachian State transfer Joey Aguilar is projected to be the starting quarterback in Westwood. There have been rumors of interest from Texas Tech, a top spender in the portal this offseason, but a source familiar with their decision-making indicated they have no interest and plan to proceed with quarterback Behren Morton, who threw for 27 touchdowns last season.
Some at Tennessee believe that Iamaleava’s choice is not solely his; they think he is following his father’s lead to seek the most financially advantageous options without prioritizing the football fit or the timing of his departure. Iamaleava will have to adapt to a new offense and gain the trust of a new coaching staff and roster within just a month of preseason camp, a rare occurrence in the sport.
Kevin Pearson, who coached Iamaleava in high school, characterized Landers as a close and trusted friend. Landers is well-known in high school and college football circles, particularly on the West Coast, and has assisted numerous high school players, including Nico, in managing their recruitment. Landers was not directly involved in recent contract talks between Iamaleava and Tennessee’s collective, according to someone involved in those discussions.
A source close to the family drew parallels to Nic’s handling of his younger son Madden’s senior year in high school last year. Madden Iamaleava, also a quarterback, transferred from Warren High School to Long Beach Poly just three games into the season, alongside receiver Jace Brown. His father stated the move aimed to enhance their chemistry and receive different coaching. Madden did not play at Long Beach Poly after being deemed ineligible.
Madden and Brown, both committed to UCLA at the time, switched to Arkansas on signing day and enrolled in January, with his father admitting to 247Sports, “We never even visited Arkansas.”
Neither Iamaleava’s father nor Landers has responded to repeated interview requests from The Athletic.
“Ultimately, in a leadership role, you must maintain standards regarding who you have inside and outside the building,” Heupel remarked. “At the same time, every individual is distinct, and leadership often requires a calm head while understanding various dynamics, including family matters.”
Subtle signs indicating all was not right had surfaced since the season concluded. In December, Iamaleava’s father tweeted a series of eyebrow-raising posts as rumors circulated that Iamaleava was exploring the transfer market and contemplating an exit from Knoxville.
“Need all the help we can get!” he tweeted, accompanied by laughing emojis. After the deadline for Iamaleava to enter the portal had passed, these posts appeared lighthearted. However, Nic Iamaleava, who was a regular presence at practices during his son’s first two seasons, did not appear this spring.
“I know they (the Iamaleavas) are very loyal,” Pearson noted. “While money is significant to everyone, I don’t believe their sole motivation here is to chase an additional million and a half dollars. I don’t think (the Iamaleavas) merely discarded this situation with (Tennessee).”
Iamaleava’s quiet nature led some within the program to question whether he could be the vocal leader characteristic of many successful quarterbacks. Although well-liked in the locker room and facility, he didn’t initially exude the kind of command that made teammates eager to listen when he spoke—much of which didn’t come naturally to him as a first-year starter last season.
“Those who know him in Knoxville would describe him as one of the most respectful young individuals they’ve encountered,” Pearson said.
Friday’s practice was a casual walkthrough ahead of Saturday’s game.
“I enjoyed walking out to practice on Friday and looking around to see if anyone was panicking or gossiping in a corner. Nobody missed a beat,” Kitselman remarked. “I loved that. It’s plug-and-play. I felt something needed to be addressed.”
Kitselman, the offense’s most vocal leader and a fifth-year senior, connected with some teammates and members of the program’s leadership council on Friday after training to ascertain their thoughts about Iamaleava’s absence and ensure they aligned.
After practice on Friday evening, Iamaleava informed Halzle of his intent to file paperwork to enter the transfer portal. Saturday morning, Heupel met with the team and updated the players about his decision to part ways with Iamaleava, who still had not reached out to Heupel. News spread quickly, leaking to the media before the team meeting concluded.
Less than two hours later, as Tennessee’s buses arrived to a waiting tunnel of fans for the pre-spring game Vol Walk outside Neyland Stadium, there were no signs of the day’s news. Upon Heupel’s first appearance from the buses, fans erupted in cheers the moment his white sneakers touched the ground.
“Let’s go!” he shouted as the crowd celebrated the team’s arrival.
Not everyone at Tennessee was aware of Iamaleava’s exit in time. Matthew and Chrissy Grant, aged 49 and 46, traveled a 90-minute drive to Knoxville from their home in Chattanooga, where Matthew works as a truck driver. Seated in the lowest section of Z13, they donned matching gray Iamaleava jerseys. They only learned about his departure during their journey to campus, deciding to attend the spring game by paying the $10 entry fee. Other fans suggested they find some tape to cover the name on the jerseys.
“I’m upset, but it is what it is,” Chrissy Grant said. “Honestly, I perceived him as a bit greedy, which I did not expect, considering he played excellently last season.”
Tennessee will continue on without Iamaleava and is likely seeking quarterback depth in the upcoming transfer window. (Photo: Caitie McMekin / News Sentinel / USA Today via Imagn Images)
As Tennessee initiated the scrimmage segment of the spring game, the crowd erupted when MacIntyre—a Tennessee native—was introduced as quarterback. He concluded the first drive with a long touchdown pass to fellow freshman Radarious Jackson.
In typical fashion for spring games, Tennessee’s sideline was populated with VFLs, former stars from the football program. Naturally, Iamaleava was a hot topic in nearly every discussion, but many chose not to discuss it openly. Six players from the 2024 Playoff team opted to refrain from commenting on Iamaleava’s departure. So did Al Wilson, a legendary figure in the program whose image is displayed on the back of the Neyland Stadium scoreboard overlooking the Tennessee River. He captained Tennessee’s defense when they last claimed a national title in 1998.
Hendon Hooker, who propelled Tennessee to No. 1 in the CFP poll in 2022 and threw for 58 touchdowns and five interceptions in two seasons under Heupel, mentioned that he regularly communicates with Iamaleava but hadn’t heard from him since his exit.
“I was just as surprised as everyone else,” Hooker stated.
The shockwaves of an SEC starting quarterback departing the program amidst a contract dispute resonated throughout the college football landscape.
SMU coach Rhett Lashlee, whose team reached the Playoff last season, commented that if a player held out, he would no longer be on the roster: “We’re not doing that. You’re either on the team or you’re not.”
Miami coach Mario Cristobal remarked, “They can be the best player in the world. If they want to hold out, they might as well leave.”
LSU coach Brian Kelly suggested that Iamaleava might just be the first in a wave of holdouts in college football, indicating, “This is a natural progression in light of the absent guidelines.”
Despite Iamaleava’s absence, Tennessee’s spring game proceeded much like previous installments. Approximately 30,000 fans attended on a beautiful day.
“The individuals who want to be here are the ones who genuinely want to be here,” junior linebacker Arion Carter stated. “Such situations test and reveal our character as people and as a team. By continually supporting each other and getting better, we will be just fine.”
Heupel approached the podium after the on-field exhibition equipped with two pages of notes, some parts marked through with pink highlighter. A photo of Iamaleava was removed from the wall of the room where Heupel typically holds postgame press conferences. Using notes is a rarity for the usually composed national champion quarterback-turned-coach, whose postgame comments rarely attract significant media attention. He had rehearsed his carefully crafted statement.
Heupel thanked Iamaleava personally for his contributions while representing the Power T, then stated: “No one is bigger than the Power T, including myself.”
— Stewart Mandel and Bruce Feldman contributed reporting.
(Top photo of the Volunteers’ spring game: Bryan Lynn / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)