No story has dominated the college football headlines over the past few days more than Nico Iamaleava’s exit from Tennessee.

The sophomore quarterback reportedly plans to enter the transfer portal after Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said the program is “moving on from” Iamaleava.

That decision comes after Iamaleava missed Friday’s practice a day after it was reported he was unhappy with what he was paid and wanted to renegotiate his NIL deal (though Iamaleava’s father initially disputed those reports). The former five-star recruit reportedly earned $2.4 million last year, but wanted a raise to more than $4 million.

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze was asked about the situation when interviewed on the Paul Finebaum Show Monday afternoon. Freeze didn’t want to dive into many specifics about the situation, but spoke on what it means for the current college football landscape.

“Our game needs some change for sure,” Freeze said on the show. “Until we get some structure around us where there is some accountability to the contracts that are signed with collectives and schools, I think we’re going to be up for some of this that’s not healthy for our sport, truthfully.”

Freeze mentioned the idea of buyouts if a player were to leave before their contract, something that schools often pay when coaches go from one program to another.

He was also asked by Finebaum if a moment like this puts any extra pressure on coaches, given how often players are changing schools and looking for other opportunities.

“I don’t know that I would describe it as pressure. It’s just, it’s very unsettling,” Freeze said. “You build these relationships that you think you have that are on solid footing and sure, now this week, I’m quite certain I’ll get smacked in the face that that relationship may not be as tight as I thought it was.

“It’s not so much pressure as it is just frustrating… I was in with our personnel right before this. You think you know who your squad is, and you keep hearing, but we really don’t know.”

Freeze also said he’s a “firm believer” in having just one portal window in January, eliminating the April window that will run from April 16 to April 25 in 2025.

“This every six months, your roster getting, having a chance to be changed is very, very, very frustrating and unsettling,” Freeze said.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m