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Nico Iamaleava ‘felt betrayed’ by contract negotiation leaks, per report
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While it seems the Nico Iamaleava saga was brewing behind-the-scenes for months, things escalated between the two parties based on a report that he was in active negotiations with the Vols on a new deal back in early April.
On April 10, On3 reported that Iamaleava was in “active negotiations” with the Vols ahead of the opening of the spring portal window. According to an ESPN report that published Wednesday detailing the fallout from Iamaleava’s exit, that leak had a big impact on the events to come.
On3’s report came out on a Thursday afternoon. Per ESPN, Iamaleava was frustrated with the report and “felt betrayed” that someone at Tennessee was making him look like a “villain.” On Friday morning, Iamaleava didn’t show up for Tennessee’s final practice before the spring game. By Saturday, he and the Vols had officially parted ways.
Here’s an excerpt from ESPN’s report — written by Chris Low, Max Olson and Adam Rittenberg — on the timeline that shook up the spring transfer window:
But later that night, sources close to Iamaleava say he reached his breaking point. He couldn’t understand why the reports were coming out, where they came from or whom he could trust going forward, and he felt pressured to make a decision about his future. He was ready to leave, sources said, but his father encouraged him to sleep on the decision.
That next morning, Iamaleava didn’t show up for Friday’s practice or meetings and didn’t alert anyone in the program.
Nic Iamaleava urged his son to go in and meet face-to-face with Heupel and his coaches to work things out, but Iamaleava felt betrayed, sources said, and did not speak with Heupel on Friday. Several people within the Vols’ program tried to reach out to the quarterback to no avail.
The rest is history. Iamaleava landed at UCLA and the Vols responded by adding former Bruins QB Joey Aguilar to replace their disgruntled quarterback.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
