At Tennessee, frustration and (some) uncertainty as contract talks with QB Nico Iamaleava go public

Uncertainty spiked in Knoxville on Thursday as Tennessee’s unsteady relationship with starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava went public. A report from On3 described Iamaleava and Tennessee as going through “contract negotiations” ahead of the April 16 opening of the college football spring transfer portal window. 

If Tennessee loses Iamaleava, it would shake up the national quarterback landscape. It could also unleash a fury not seen on Rocky Top since coach Lane Kiffin bolted for USC in the cover of darkness. Tennessee is determined to keep a player into which it has invested major capital — money, reputation, lawyers — to build up as the pillar of the program. 

Updated contract agreements have been made across college football the last several weeks ahead of April 16’s opening of the spring window to no fanfare, which is why sources at Tennessee say they were caught off guard when they saw their business being aired out on social media Thursday. The act could provide interested schools daylight to gauge Iamaleava’s interest. Sources around Tennessee tell CBS Sports there are multiple parties involved in Iamaleava’s camp, though his dad, Nicholaus, runs the show. 

“The family are happy (with Tennessee),” said Cordell Landers, a close friend of the Iamaleavas. Landers is a former assistant director of player personnel at Florida who also works with a number of notable players from California. “There are no (contract negotiations), they’re happy with the contract they have.”

Last week, a rumor rippled through the West Coast that Iamaleava may be interested in testing the portal waters. When reached then about that possibility, one source at Tennessee expressed little concern about the Vols’ standing with Iamaleava. Sources Thursday…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/at-tennessee-frustration-and-some-uncertainty-as-contract-talks-with-qb-nico-iamaleava-go-public/

Author : Chris Hummer

Publish date : 2025-04-11 13:00:00

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