Nico Iamaleava blasts accusations of CFP holdout, thrown game at Tennessee

For the first time since his departure from Tennessee, Nico Iamaleava discussed the situation. He shared a photo on his Instagram story responding to accusations he “tried to sit out and throw” the College Football Playoff game against Ohio State.

“Damn I tried to sit out and throw the playoff game too?” Iamaleava wrote, along with three laughing emojis and a photo from that first-round game. “These boys just make me laugh man ain’t no way.”

Iamaleava then posted another photo of himself talking with quarterback Navy Shuler prior to the game in Columbus. He joked the two were talking about “how ima throw this game rq” and again added two laughing emojis.

NEW: Tennessee transfer QB Nico Iamaleava on playoff holdout reports:

“Damn I tried to sit out and throw the playoff game too? These boys just make me laugh.” https://t.co/Mbg75MiplZ pic.twitter.com/g0QJKkOLhr — On3 (@On3sports) April 18, 2025

Iamaleava officially entered the transfer portal on Wednesday when the spring window opened for football and is currently the No. 2-ranked player in the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings. That came after On3’s Pete Nakos reported active negotiations between the former five-star quarterback and Tennessee ahead of the Vols’ spring game. Iamaleava then missed practice the following day, and Josh Heupel confirmed the two sides were parting ways.

“Listen, it’s the state of college football,” Heupel told Brent Hubbs on The Vol Network radio broadcast. “At the end of the day, no one is ever bigger than the program. That includes me, too. We’ve got an opportunity. We’ve got a bunch of guys that will give their all for Tennessee. We move forward. Got a great group. Let’s go compete.”

After he hit the open market, The Athletic reported the expectation is Nico Iamaleava would commit to UCLA. Neither he nor the Bruins announced a signing, but Nakos reported the two sides are working toward a deal.

Iamaleava began his career as Joe Milton’s primary backup before taking over as Tennessee’s starting quarterback in 2024. He threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns as a sophomore and it appeared as if he’d get ready to take a leap forward in 2025. He made his first career start in the Citrus Bowl to end the 2023 season, completing 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown while also adding 27 rushing yards and three scores on the ground.

Iamaleava, a Long Beach native, played high school football at Downey (Calif.) Warren, where he was a five-star prospect and the No. 6 overall player from the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was also the No. 1 overall player in the On300 Rankings.

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