After stalled NIL contract talks and a brief public holdout, former five-star recruit Nico Iamaleava decided to enter the transfer portal on Saturday, effectively signaling the end of his time with the Tennessee Volunteers.
Volunteers coach Josh Heupel, who spoke to the media about Iamaleava for the first time after Tennessee's spring game on Saturday, pinpointed the exact moment he knew that his former quarterback would be leaving the team.
"Friday morning when he’s a no-show," Heupel said when asked when it was apparent Iamaleava would no longer be a part of the program. "You come off the practice field and there’s no communication."
Iamaleava, who announced his commitment to Tennessee in March of 2022, at the time signed a three-year contract that would pay him a reported $8 million.
Iamaleava and his representatives reportedly first asked Tennessee in January, one day before the close of college football's winter transfer portal window, for his NIL contract to increase, but the university declined to do so. The signal-caller asked to be paid $4 million per year, according to multiple reports.
Just days earlier, Georgia QB Carson Beck had entered the transfer portal and signed an NIL deal with the Miami Hurricanes that will pay him $4 million.
So, with spring practice coming to a close, the spring game on the horizon and the spring transfer portal window just days away from opening, Iamaleava's situation came to a head.
He skipped practice on Friday, surprising Heupel and his staff, each of whom unsuccessfully attempted to contact Iamaleava, according to ESPN.
The news then broke Saturday morning of Iamaleava's intention to enter the transfer portal, which opens on April 16.
"I want to thank him for everything he's done since he's gotten here, as a recruit and who he was as a player and how he competed inside the building," Heupel said. "Obviously, we're moving forward as a program without him. I said it to the guys today. There's no one that's bigger than the Power T. That includes me."
In his first season as a starter, Iamaleava led Tennessee to the expanded College Football Playoff while throwing for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Josh Heupel Revealed Exact Moment He Knew Nico Iamaleava Would Be Leaving Tennessee.
