College football fans, media react to Tennessee’s reported decision on Nico Iamaleava ...Middle East

Tennessee’s reported decision to move on from starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava in the midst of an NIL dispute sent the college football world into a frenzy Saturday morning.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, head coach Josh Heupel informed the rest of the Vols at a team meeting that Tennessee was indeed moving on from Iamaleava. Reports surfaced this week that the star quarterback was looking for an increase to his NIL package, and he was absent from Tennessee’s practice and meetings on Friday.

Iamaleava originally came to the program as a 5-star prospect and landed the starting job in 2024. During his first year as a starter, Iamaleava showed plenty of promise and flashes, though Tennessee had no intentions of boosting his NIL package prior to the start of 2025.

Instead, Iamaleava is now expected to enter the transfer portal when the spring window opens next week. It is a stunning move for a team and QB that advanced to the College Football Playoff last season and was likely expected to contend for a return trip this fall.

RELATED: How will Tennessee’s 2025 odds shift following Iamaleava’s departure? Stay locked into the Tennessee betting apps for all the latest.

Across the country, many fans and media are left wondering if this will be the new norm in the era of NIL payments, official revenue sharing and transfer portal movement, and the decision could produce a massive ripple effect for the 2025 season. Here’s a glimpse at how social media chimed in to the news:

Every Vols beat reporter this week dusting off that “Nico is gone” prewrite they wrote between Thanksgiving and Christmas. pic.twitter.com/hco1Ltu8tx

A prominent school, an SEC school, getting absolutely knifed like this by a player they invested millions in feel like a potential turning point where university presidents realize they need to do the thing they don’t want to do. t.co/snQ5uGfUdM

Nico Iamaleava's Tennessee career will be remembered for NIL chasing more than it will for football. t.co/tRuBOAiUYB

Broken sport. This is so stupid. t.co/CsHLx26YGq

Credit Tennessee: They called the family's bluff.They refused to sacrifice the other 84 guys in their locker room to benefit one, totally average QB. t.co/8B9RhtJ0In

Live shot at college football this morning. Somebody has got to fix this mess. t.co/TRMGCJDzJU pic.twitter.com/yOlOhVUBTf

This situation is genuinely outrageous & wildly disappointing.College football may not be “ruined.” But it’s been disfigured so much it’s nearly unrecognizable.The NCAA’s complete abuse of its athletes for years has led to an overcorrection by athletes. And here we are now ? t.co/ztsiOFXSya

I was wondering how "demand way more money and hold out after playing like the ~10th-best QB in the SEC" was going to go, aaaaaaand… t.co/IrmNw2qnXu

? t.co/419cZKXHgM

WOW t.co/i6nKqEtLxo

My hot take is that Nico's demands saved Tennessee from a Jalen Milroe situation where they had an incumbent starter who was going to play just well enough to not get benched, but never good enough to win a title.And Tennessee knew it. t.co/xCnmEywfBk

This was really the only way for Tennessee to go. t.co/Xu8smfr6a6

We need contracts in D1 football and basketball. This is a joke. t.co/1f2cqndtl1

College football fans, media react to Tennessee’s reported decision on Nico Iamaleava Saturday Down South.

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