The Last Memory Of Nico Iamaleava At Tennessee Is A CFP Beatdown By Ohio State

Nico Iamaleava is no longer the quarterback at Tennessee, which means his last moments with the Volunteers were suffering a loss to Ohio State.

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive tackle Tyleik Williams (91) and defensive end JT Tuimoloau (44) sack Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) during the first half of the College Football Playoff first round game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Dec. 21, 2024. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers are going through it right now. Or, former 5-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava is going through it right now. Ultimatly, it depends on whose side of the story you believe.

Either way, two things were reported on Saturday morning that really hurt Tennessee's chances of making it back to the College Football Playoff. The first was that Iamaleava — the Vols' star starting quarterback last season — was entering the transfer portal. The other was that in the midst of "contract negotiations" between Iamaleava and the Vols for a new NIL deal, the quarterback missed a team meeting and practice. Head coach Josh Heupel told his team on Saturday morning that Tennessee was moving on from Iamaleava.

Sources: Tennessee is moving on from starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Tennessee coach Josh Heupel informed the team of the decision at a team meeting this morning. Iamaleava missed meetings and practice on Friday, which was the driver of this decision. pic.twitter.com/BsdhJMDXiz

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 12, 2025

No matter whose side of the story you believe — more reporting suggests the quarterback told Tennessee of his decision to transfer on Friday night and the coaching staff tried reaching out multiple times to no avail — this all looks pretty funny from the Ohio State point of view, doesn't it?

There's a mess down at Rocky Top right now, but the Volunteers have been a mess ever since they ran out shirtless into the cold Columbus air on December 21 in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Remember, that was supposed to be a tough game. The Buckeyes were coming off a bad loss to Michigan and Tennessee, led by Iamaleava, was supposed to be a threat to knock OSU off and potentially end the Ryan Day era.

Instead, OSU came out from the get-go and jumped all over the Volunteers. It was 21-0 by the end of the first quarter and the final score was 42-17. It was a route, through and through, and Iamaleava was held to just 14-of-31 passing for 104 yards with no touchdowns. He did score two on the ground because he's a prolific running threat, but that last touchdown came at 1:42 in the fourth quarter with the Vols staring at a 42-10 deficit. It was pure, garbage time stat-padding.

Where Iamaleava goes next is anybody's guess, but there is one potential truth and one certainty in this situation. The potential truth is that Iamaleava appears to be the first unsuccessful "holdout" in the NIL era. The second is a certainty. His final moments at Tennessee and perhaps his lasting legacy with the Volunteers was suffering an absolute beatdown at the hands of Ohio State.

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