Uncertainty spiked in Knoxville on Thursday as Tennessee’s unsteady relationship with starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava went public. A report from On3 described Iamaleava and Tennessee as going through “contract negotiations” ahead of the April 16 opening of the college football spring transfer portal window. On Friday, Iamaleava was absent from Tennessee’s practice, according to GoVols247.
Coach Josh Heupel wrapped up a meeting with Tennessee’s coaching staff mid-day Friday briefing everybody on the situation. Sources describe Tennessee as surprised that Iamaleava had skipped practice considering he participated in Tennessee’s position group dinners Thursday evening and maintained an air of normality at QBs coach Joey Halzle’s house even as news of the contract negotiations went public.
Alarms went off Friday morning, though, when Iamaleava was not present for the team’s pre-practice meeting, which he usually takes in from a seat on the front row.
If Tennessee loses Iamaleava, it would shake up the national quarterback landscape. It could also unleash a fury not seen on Rocky Top since coach Lane Kiffin bolted for USC in the cover of darkness. Tennessee is determined to keep a player into which it has invested major capital — money, reputation, lawyers — to build up as the pillar of the program.
Updated contract agreements have been made across college football the last several weeks ahead of April 16’s opening of the spring window to no fanfare, which is why sources at Tennessee say they were caught off guard when they saw their business being aired out on social media Thursday. The act could provide interested schools daylight to gauge Iamaleava’s interest. Sources around Tennessee tell CBS Sports there are multiple…
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