Iamaleava family blames Nico departure on Tennessee offense, but numbers don’t add up

Colin Cowherd didn’t just get tipped off to Nico Iamaleava’s transfer to UCLA Wednesday afternoon. The family also used the FOX Sports personality and host of ‘The Herd’ to take a shot at Tennessee on the way out.

“I am told — moments ago — Nico Iamaleava is going to UCLA,” Cowherd wrote on X. “Family still claims it’s NOT about the (money) it’s about the (Tennessee) offense. I was not told what the Bruins are paying.” Iamaleava entered the NCAA Transfer Portal with a “do not contact” tag when the portal opened on Wednesday morning.

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel publicly moved on from his quarterback on Saturday, after Iamaleava skipped practice Friday morning and had not been in contact through the day on Friday.

It was reported by On3’s Pete Nakos on Thursday that Iamaleava was in contract negotiations for a new NIL deal, with Iamaleava believed to be looking for a deal worth $4 million.

At UCLA Iamaleava will play for a first-year offensive coordinator in Tino Sunseri, who was Indiana’s co-offensive coordinator last season and quarterbacks coach at James Madison the two previous seasons.  Nico Iamaleava was Josh Heupel’s least productive quarterback Iamaleava was the least productive quarterback during Heupel’s time as an offensive coordinator or head coach. He threw for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions in 13 games.

Hendon Hooker starred in Tennessee’s offense in 2021 and 2022. He threw for 2,945 yards, 31 touchdowns and three interceptions in his first year as a starter for the Vols, then 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns and two interceptions in 2022.

Joe Milton threw for 2,813 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2023, with Iamaleava as the backup as a true freshman. Heupel in three seasons at UCF from 2018-2020 had McKenzie Milton and Dillon Gabriel starring at quarterback. Milton threw for 2,663 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2018, then Gabriel went for 3,653 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2019 and 3,570 yards, 32 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Heupel was Missouri’s offensive coordinator in 2016 and 2017. Drew Lock threw for 3,339 yards, 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2016 and 3,964 yards, 44 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 2017.  Heupel’s first year as a solo offensive coordinator at Utah State in 2015 — he was a co-offensive coordinator during his time at Oklahoma — quarterbacks Kent Myers and Chuckie Keeton threw for 2,599 yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Tennessee looking to add quarterback in NCAA Transfer Portal after moving on from Iamaleava, Tennessee now turns to redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and freshman George MacIntyre. The Vols will also be active in the portal looking for a third quarterback to add to the roster.

“This program is ready to go win next fall,” Heupel said on Saturday. “And as a program since we’ve been here, we’ve won with a lot of different QB’s done it historically in my career with a lot of different QBs. “Some of those guys have been older, some of them have been younger, but we’ll have a quarterback that’s ready to go win and help us compete for a championship.”