by Cole Johnson
Wed, April 16th 2025 at 7:05 PM
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava #8 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the Football Spring Scrimmage at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN. (Photo By Emma Ramsey/Tennessee Athletics)
According to multiple reports, former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback, Nico Iamaleava is expected to transfer to UCLA.
FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd was the first to report what he heard, followed by On3 Sports backing it up.
This comes on the day the transfer portal reopened and just days after Iamaleava and Tennessee parted ways. Iamaleava was a no-show at team practice or meetings on Friday before head coach Josh Heupel announced to the team prior to the Orange & White game Saturday that the Vols would be moving forward without the redshirt sophomore.
The standoff began this winter when the school decided to cut ties after talks emerged about increasing Iamaleava’s NIL contract to $4 million, and Tennessee did not redo the deal. Then those contract talks became public, leading to his skipping of practice on Friday.
Sources also reveal that Iamaleava’s representatives had reached out to at least one other school, Oregon, prior to the start of spring practice.
