Dan Lanning pressed for comment on if he has contacted Josh Heupel about Nico Iamaleava

Oregon coach Dan Lanning quickly shut down a question Saturday regarding his knowledge about the situation at Tennessee between Josh Heupel and quarterback Nico Iamaleava. It was reported Saturday morning that Heupel informed the Volunteers players that the team is moving on from Iamaleava, who skipped practice and team meetings Friday amidst negotiations for more NIL money.

According to an article from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, representatives for Iamaleava had reached out to Oregon during those negotiations, but the Ducks were not interested. One reporter asked Lanning in a press conference after Oregon’s eighth spring practice whether he had reached out to Heupel, but the coach declined to comment.

“I’m not getting into anything else except — let’s talk about our scrimmage today,” he said. “The Ducks worked really hard at our scrimmage today.”

Oregon recruited Iamaleava out of high school, where he was the No. 3 quarterback in the 2023 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. The Ducks currently have Dante Moore, the No. 2 quarterback from that class, on their roster for 2025.

Although it doesn’t seem like Oregon is a likely landing spot for Iamaleava next season, he is sure to have a large number of schools interested in bringing him in. Whichever team does will also likely pay a hefty price.

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Iamaleava’s deal at Tennessee was worth somewhere between $2.2 and $2.5 million. Miami’s Carson Beck and Duke’s Darian Mensah both signed contracts this offseason worth more than $3 million annually. Michigan gave five-star freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood over $3 million per year, too.

Iamaleava led Tennessee to a 10-3 record and an appearance in the College Football Playoff, where they fell in the first round against eventual champion Ohio State. He finished the season with 2,616 yards passing and 19 touchdowns to five interceptions.

With Lanning’s refusal to comment, it’s still unclear what role, if any, he played in letting Heupel know about Iamaleava and potentially leading to the decision to move on. But the Tennessee head man had a strong statement on the matter Saturday, which was also the same day the Vols hosted their spring game.

“Man, 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.”