In one of the biggest transfer portal shockers in 2025, Nico Iamaleava’s exit from Tennessee has the team in chaos. For now, the Volunteers are showing a brave front after their star quarterback left them. However, one college football analyst believes that there is more to the disfunction in Josh Heupel’s squad coming into the 2025 season.
College football analyst Joel Klatt talked about the dire quarterback situation at Tennessee in the wake of Nico Iamaleava’s transfer to UCLA and noted that while losing their star quarterback late in the spring is bad, he believes that this is not the season for the Vols.
“Tennessee is a team I could see taking a step back. I get it—people think Tennessee is great. But right now, Tennessee is a sell team,” Klatt explained. “They’ve got a quarterback situation I don’t love. Losing a quarterback that late in the spring isn’t ideal. Sure, you can argue, ‘We didn’t like Nico anyway.’ Fine—that’s your prerogative. But the timing wasn’t great”
“They had to replace him through the transfer portal, and they landed Joey Aguilar. He came in during the spring window, so he hasn’t had much time with Josh Heupel or in that system. He was at App State, then briefly at UCLA—so it’s almost like UCLA and Tennessee just traded quarterbacks,” he added.
Aguilar, who was not expected to come to Tennessee so early after the transfer portal, is now thrust into the QB1 spot as Tennessee reeled from their former quarterback leaving. While Aguilar is good, him getting a crash course into the Vols’ system at such short notice may not have some good effects, especially with the 2025 season fast approaching.
Tennessee Lineman Says Tennessee Should Not Be Underestimated
Despite all the chaos happening at Tennessee, the team has been repeating that they have moved on from Nico Iamaleava. The players certainly think this is the case, including senior defensive lineman Bryson Eason, who spoke with ESPN regarding the situation.
“If anybody is sweeping us under the rug and thinks we’re going to be mediocre just because we lost Nico, that’s cool. Let ’em think that way,” he said. “There’s more than one person on the field, you know what I’m saying?”
Heupel has been leading the way in saying that the Vols have “moved on” from their former quarterback, who did not show up for the team’s final spring practice in April, only to announce that he is entering the transfer portal, choosing UCLA in the end.
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