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College football’s latest drama has nothing to do with spring games. Instead, all eyes are on quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s shocking departure from the Tennessee Volunteers. The sophomore QB, who led the Vols to the College Football Playoff last season, skipped spring practices and team meetings on Friday amid an NIL contract dispute with the program.
The situation escalated quickly. By Saturday, head coach Josh Heupel gathered the team to announce they were moving forward without Iamaleava. According to reporting from ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Chris Low, Iamaleava texted offensive coordinator Joey Halzle on April 16 about entering the transfer portal. What made matters worse? He completely ghosted Heupel and other coaches during the process.
This sudden exit has Vols fans experiencing painful déjà vu.
Remember when Lane Kiffin bolted from Knoxville after just one season in 2009 to take the USC job? There’s that infamous photo of Kiffin leaning against a wall during his brief Tennessee tenure. One creative fan photoshopped Iamaleava’s head onto Kiffin’s body in that image — and Kiffin himself noticed.
The current Ole Miss head coach’s response? A simple facepalm emoji.
🤦🏼♂️ https://t.co/kLne3Pf0Lk
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) April 12, 2025
Kiffin’s Reaction Highlights Tennessee’s QB Crisis
The parallels between these two departures haven’t been lost on the Volunteer faithful. During a street interview with WBIR’s Emilie Rae Cochrane, one frustrated fan put it bluntly: Iamaleava “Lane Kiffin’d us.”
“He left in the middle of the night for a sweeter deal,” the fan added, capturing the sentiment of many in Knoxville.
"He Lane Kiffin'd us."
— Emilie Rae Cochrane (@EmCochranetv) April 12, 2025
Talked to some Vol fans this morning about the Nico Iamaleava news ahead of the Orange and White game.
This guy had some strong thoughts. #Vols pic.twitter.com/Zd1HiXwJjp
Could Iamaleava follow Kiffin’s path to Southern California? It’s anyone’s guess at this point. What we do know is that SEC rules would prevent him from playing for another conference school in the 2025 season.
Interestingly, ESPN reported that Iamaleava’s representatives had already reached out to Oregon before Tennessee’s spring practices even began. The Ducks, however, weren’t interested — shutting down those conversations immediately.
Heupel’s message to the team was crystal clear: “No one is ever bigger than the program.” That principle applies to everyone — players, coaches, and even highly-touted quarterbacks with lucrative NIL deals. The Volunteers are now moving forward with Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre in their quarterback room.
While Iamaleava shops around for a more lucrative NIL package elsewhere, his legacy in Knoxville has been permanently altered. What could have been a celebrated Tennessee career will instead be remembered for how it ended — with his name now linked to Kiffin’s in Volunteer infamy.
