The Tennessee Volunteers and Nico Iamaleava are getting a divorce.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel broke the news this morning.
Iamaleava was a no-show at Friday’s practice a day ahead of UT’s spring game. Attempts by Vols head coach Josh Heupel and other staff members to reach Iamaleava and his team were unsuccessful after he missed meetings and practice yesterday.
According to sources for ESPN’s Chris Low, Iamaleava contacted Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle late Friday night and informed him that he planned to enter the transfer portal when it opens on Wednesday.
Heupel let his players know at a meeting early this morning that Iamaleava was no longer part of the team.
Iamaleava was reportedly making $2.4 million per year on a contract that was believed to be worth $8 million when he signed it coming out of high school as a five-star prospect.
Per ESPN sources, Tennessee was aware that Iamaleava’s representatives contacted Oregon before spring practice started. The Ducks weren’t interested, though.
In January before the winter portal window ended, Iamaleava’s team asked Tennessee to increase his salary closer to the $4 million range.
Tennessee eventually refused to do so.
As a redshirt freshman after sitting behind Joe Milton as a true freshman, Iamaleava led the Vols to a 10-3 straight-up record and a 7-5 against-the-spread mark. They made the 12-team College Football Playoff but were sent home early in a 42-17 loss at Ohio State as seven-point underdogs.
Iamaleava completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 2,617 yards with a 19/5 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He added 364 rushing yards, three TDs and had a 3.3 yards-per-carry average.
However, as FOX’s Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica pointed out, “[Iamaleava] threw 19 TDs. 11 came vs. Chattanooga, UTEP and Vanderbilt. 4 of 9 in SEC play came vs. Vandy.”
“At the end of the day, no one is ever bigger than the program,” Heupel told Brent Hubbs of Volsquest earlier today. “We move forward. Got a great group. Let’s go compete.”
Unless the Vols are able to land a proven starter in the late portal window, true freshman George MacIntyre will be one of the candidates for the starting QB job. He dropped this dime for a TD pass earlier today.
MacIntyre was a four-star prospect in the 2025 class who enrolled early and played in today’s spring game. The 6-foot-6, 190-pound signal caller played at Nashville’s Brentwood Academy and was ranked as the nation’s #17 QB in the class.
There’s also Jake Merklinger, who redshirted this past season. He was a four-star recruit in the 2024 class. Merklinger is a 6-foot-3 signal caller.
Just like schools galore will be interested in Iamaleava’s services, there will be plenty of QBs at Big 10, ACC and Big 12 schools interested in becoming UT’s 2025 starter.
I asked one of the country’s sharpest handicappers, Tennessee Lee, what he thought of this week’s events in Knoxville.
T-Lee said, “Tennessee’s got to handle its business. Sure, a lot of these kids and their parents are pains in the ass, but that’s the business you’re in.
“Maybe Nico wasn’t as good as a lot of fans thought he was going to be? But he’s still going to be a first-round pick. I say you pay the kid what he wants.
“Maybe fans are thinking this is a good thing. Well, I don’t think players are looking at it like that. How’s Faizon Brandon looking at it?”
Brandon, of course, is the nation’s #1 player in the 2026 class who is committed to the Vols.
As for potential QBs hitting the portal, we’ll start to get an idea of who will be available on Wednesday and the days afterward.
T-Lee told MajorWager, “Luke Altmyer is a name I’ve heard. Tennessee certainly has the money some other schools don’t have. I’m not sure what sort of NIL deal Haynes King has at Ga. Tech, but that’s a name that would be very interesting.”
Both of those QBs started their careers in the SEC but struggled. They’ve found success elsewhere since then.
Altmyer, who left Ole Miss for Illinois, had a breakout season for the Fighting Illini in 2024. He completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 2,717 yards with a 22/6 TD-INT ratio. Altmyer finished the year with 217 rushing yards and four TDs.
King connected on 72.9 percent of his throws for 2,114 yards with a 14/2 TD-INT ratio. He had 587 rushing yards, 11 TDs and a 4.7 YPC average.
FanDuel currently has Tennessee listed with 31/1 odds to win the CFP. Most books previously had the Vols at 20/1.