The ending to Nico Iamaleava’s Tennessee career came out of nowhere and was unexpected, but once details started to emerge, it became less surprising. Reportedly, Iamaleava’s father was upset with how Tennessee’s offense performed last season, which led him to make several threats to head coach Josh Heupel about Nico transferring.
“Let’s get this straight,” On3’s Andy Staples said. “They knew in December that Heupel was still Tennessee’s coach, so the offense wasn’t changing. So they wait until April, and—if this winds up being true—put him with an OC whose next playcall will be his first. Because it’s about the offense.”
The entire situation was unusual, but it seemed to have been building over time. While there was no official explanation for Iamaleava’s transfer, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit revealed a reason he was told, which involved pressuring Heupel to fix the offense.
“You got to get better around him if you want us to stick around. Which blows my mind that a college quarterback’s dad would do that to a head coach,” Herbstreit shared on the Try That in a Small Town podcast.
At UCLA, hype has been growing around Iamaleava. Analysts have spoken highly of him—some even claiming he could help UCLA notch a few more wins than last season.
“I have talked to multiple people at UCLA and outside of UCLA that say Nico is worth 2 or 3 wins at least,” CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer said.
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However, Fox Sports’ Aaron Torres questioned what Iamaleava’s father might be thinking after UCLA managed only 10 points and Nico was sacked four times.
“If Nico's dad wasn't happy with the o-line play and wide receivers at Tennessee - I CANNOT wait to hear what he's gonna have to say about tonight,” Torres posted.
There’s no doubt that the Bruins didn’t do Iamaleava’s father any favors with their performance. Meanwhile, Tennessee’s offense looked dominant in their win over Syracuse, and Joey Aguilar wasn’t sacked once. There’s nothing like eating your words—while Iamaleava’s father watches his son take hits, Tennessee is protecting its quarterback with a clean pocket. This is exactly why he should have been careful what he wished for.