Nico Iamaleava negotiations: New information emerges on Tennessee QB's absence from practice

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava was absent from Friday morning’s practice, according to Austin Price of VolQuest via the site’s message board The General’s Quarters. The turn of events came in the midst of reported ongoing negotiations between the redshirt sophomore and the Volunteers.

Now, there’s been a new development in the matter. According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, this isn’t something Tennessee was expecting: “Sources: Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava did not attend Tennessee spring practice today. He’s been in conversations with Tennessee about a new contract. The no-show of practice came as a surprise,” Thamel reported.

What the future holds remains to be seen. On3 insider Pete Nakos reported Iamaleava and Tennessee were in active negotiations on a new NIL deal ahead of the coming season Thursday. It remains unclear how those negotiations might impact Iamaleava’s decision about the Spring transfer portal, which opens next week.

Sources told Nakos that Iamaleava “is happy at Tennessee and has a strong relationship with head coach Josh Heupel.” Evidently, the two sides are trying to finalize a new contract before Saturday’s Orange-White spring game. 

Additionally, Nakos suggested Iamaleava is seeking to amend the original multi-million dollar NIL deal he received when he signed with Tennessee as a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. At the time, Iamaleava’s deal was consideted one of the first significant NIL contracts issued. But the market has since adjusted significantly — especially at the quarterback position.

According to Nakos, Iamaleava’s current contract is somewhere between $2.2 to $2.5 million. In the time since he agreed to his deal, transfers like Miami’s Carson Beck and Duke’s Darian Mensah have reportedly both signed contracts this offseason worth more than $3 million annually. Michigan even gave five-star freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood over $3 million per year, as well.

Moreover, ESPN’s Chris Low added on Friday that Iamaleava’s team wanted his deal upped into the $4 million range before the winter portal closed, and with the spring portal opening up on Wednesday, the topic has come to fruition again. According to Low’s sources, Tennessee officials have said they “weren’t going to blink” regarding the quarterback.

Continuing, Low added that Iamaleava’s reps were adamant on Thursday to various news outlets that there was no NIL renegotiation going on, refuting Nakos, but sources have since told ESPN there’s been growing frustration among the administration and Volunteers players regarding the situation. That’s only grown with Iamaleava not showing for practice.

In his first season as Tennessee’s starting quarterback, Nico Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for 358 yards and three more scores on the ground. He started every game for the Volunteers in 2024, helping guide Tennessee (10-3) to its first College Football Playoff berth last season.

— On3’s Alex Byington contributed to this article.