Danny White on Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava split: 'Our fans really get it'

The split between Nico Iamaleava and the Tennessee Volunteers became one of the biggest storylines of the offseason. In the end, it left Iamaleava playing for the UCLA Bruins, and the Volunteers bringing in Joey Aguilar to help replace him.

It was a frustrating situation for fans. Despite that, Tennessee athletic director Danny White is happy with how the fanbase has handled it, understanding the context behind the situation.

“I think you continue to try to make the right decisions for the right reasons, and that’s what we’ve tried to do for over four years now,” White said. “And our coaches have tried to do. In this instance, Josh [Heupel], I think, had to make a hard decision, but it usually ends up working out for the best, and our fans really get it.”

A five-star recruit who came to Tennessee in the Class of 2023, Iamaleava received a lot of attention as a recruit for his reported $8 million NIL deal. He would mostly back up Joe Milton as a true freshman before leading the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff in 2024. He threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns last season. On top of that, he also rushed for 358 yards and three more scores.

This spring, it was heavily reported that Iamaleava was looking to increase his NIL deal with Tennessee. It was between $2.2 to $2.5 million for the upcoming season already, but he was looking for an increase. That ended up being the basis for the split between the two sides.

“We need to operate the right way. We need to build the right kind of team chemistry and team culture, locker room culture, and all those things,” White said. “And I know he’s really excited about the guys he’s got in the locker room and the guys he’s got in his quarterback room.”

In the end, Tennessee essentially made a quarterback trade with UCLA. Once Iamaleava went to UCLA, it prompted multiple transfers out of that quarterback room. That included Aguilar, who eventually ended up in Knoxville and is expected to compete for the starting job at Tennessee next season.

Paul Finebaum expresses concern in Tennessee for 2025 season after loss of Nico Iamaleava

While Tennessee and White feel they handled the situation with Iamaleava correctly, there is going to be fallout. Some of that, Paul Finebaum recently explained, could come on the field itself.

“I think you have to be worried about Tennessee,” Finebaum said. “I know that I’m probably not breaking a new story here but what is the quarterback situation really going to be like? Listen, [Joey] Aguilar is serviceable. They have two backups who have no experience, but I think that’s a tremendous drop-off. Considering Georgia is right out of the shoot. At Alabama, at Florida. You have to be a little bit worried about them.”