'Tennessee is screwed' after Nico Iamaleava exit, Urban Meyer warns

Tennessee is in big trouble after watching starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava leave the program following his bombshell exit after a reported NIL dispute.

Nico Iamaleava's exit is bad news for Tennessee this coming football season, according to Urban Meyer. | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

The bombshell exit of Nico Iamaleava from Tennessee could spell some serious trouble for the team as it rebuilds the offense coming into the 2025 football season.

While most experts agree that the quarterback’s sudden departure from Rocky Top was a bad business decision for him, it could also mean disaster for the Vols on the field.

“Here’s the reality: Tennessee is screwed,” former head coach Urban Meyer said on The Triple Option podcast.

Iamaleava bolted the program after a reported NIL dispute in which the quarterback was apparently interested in a raise, one that Tennessee turned down. Where does that leave the Vols at QB?

“They are at nada. Zero,” Meyer warned.

Technically, the Vols are at two: freshman George MacIntyre and redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger, both of whom took the main snaps in the team’s spring game, and who remain the team’s only two remaining scholarship quarterbacks.

That leaves Big Orange in a bind looking for some reinforcements.

“Everybody’s saying, ‘Nice job, Tennessee, making a stand,’” Meyer said. “I’ve got a little comment on that.

“Tennessee plays Florida usually every year in October. Can you imagine that game’s going the other way and [head coach] Josh Heupel grabs the microphone and stands on the 50-yard line in Neyland Stadium and says, ‘It’s okay, I made a stand way back when.’”

Iamaleava was supposed to take a larger role in the Vols’ offense this year after the team lost lead tailback Dylan Sampson, so critical to their output last fall, to the NFL Draft.

Faced with the prospect of giving Iamaleava more money, and ostensibly setting a precedent that players could sit out and gain leverage over teams, the Vols chose to let their quarterback walk.

Iamaleava was happy to bet on himself and find another team, and while he’s sure to find somewhere to play in 2025, it likely won’t be for anything like the money he’s apparently after.

Multiple reports contend that schools are not even thinking of entertaining the reputed $4 million per year that the quarterback that insiders say he’s asking for.

So it seems that Iamaleava may have left some serious money on the table, and in the process, left Tennessee without the foundation of its offense this fall.

(Meyer)

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