In his first year as the program’s starting QB, Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards and accounted for 22 touchdowns. While his game-to-game performance was often up and down, he led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff.

Iamaleava's original deal with the Vols made him the face of NIL, now his departure from the program shows its downfalls

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel reportedly told the team that they moved on from quarterback Nico Iamaleava a day after he skipped practice amid NIL contract negotiations.