College Football HQ

Tennessee fan burns Nico Iamaleava jersey amid bombshell transfer

Rocky Flop: After news of Nico Iamaleava's decision to transfer came to light, one Tennessee fan offered this fiery farewell to the Vols quarterback.

James Parks

News of Nico Iamaleava leaving Tennessee moved one enraged Vols fan to a form of protest.
News of Nico Iamaleava leaving Tennessee moved one enraged Vols fan to a form of protest. / Twitter
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Any goodwill Tennessee football fans had towards Nico Iamaleava is gone for good after the quarterback decided to transfer following a failed attempt to renegotiate his NIL deal with the team.

As the relationship between Tennessee and Iamaleava deteriorated, so did the one between the quarterback and Vols faithful, including one who condemned his Nico shirt to the flames.

Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel addressed news of Iamaleava planning to leave the program by saying the team would carry on with its other quarterbacks.

“It’s the state of college football,” Heupel said, via the Vol Network.

“At the end of the day, no one is bigger than the program. That includes me, too. We’ve got an opportunity. We’ve got a bunch of guys who are going to give their all for Tennessee.

He added: “We move forward. Got a great group. Let’s go compete.”

NIL talks between Iamaleava and the Vols became public late last week, and the relationship between the two sides apparently decayed in the two days since then.

Initially, it was reported that Iamaleava was interested in securing a new NIL deal from the football program in the days before the spring transfer window is set to open.

Then, someone close to the quarterback’s family said that no such negotiations were taking place and that Iamaleava was happy with the Vols.

After that, it emerged that Iamaleava didn’t show up for Tennessee’s practice on Friday, the day before the team’s spring game, and that the Volunteers wouldn’t move on a new deal.

From there, a report emerged that Iamaleava’s reps had been in contact with other schools for months, fueling speculation that he was looking for an exit route.

And then it became official: Heupel told his team that Iamaleava would enter the transfer portal.

Tennessee has bid Nico Iamaleava farewell, and now so has its fans.

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James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He previously covered football for 247Sports and CBS Interactive. College Football HQ joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022.

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