There might a long-term payoff for Heupel in terms of culture-setting in a locker room that includes other well-compensated Vols; however, the biggest move of the spring window was an SEC power saying goodbye to a consensus five-star coming out of high school who immediately ranked as the No. 1 player in the transfer portal.

Nico Iamaleava was previously the starting quarterback for Tennessee before entering the transfer portal. His departure from Tennessee was primarily due to NIL contract disputes, with reports suggesting he sought a higher NIL deal but could not agree with the program.

With Nico Iamaleava’s college football transfer portal drama finally over, DeShaun Foster is excited to welcome him to UCLA. The Bruins head coach does not think his new star quarterback will take much time to adjust once he finishes his final semester at Tennessee.