Urban Meyer says Tennessee football has a problem after Nico Iamaleava was dismissed after NIL negotiations broke down.
“Here’s the reality: Tennessee is screwed,” Meyer said Wednesday on The Triple Option podcast.
Meyer, who won national titles at Florida and Ohio State, pointed to Tennessee’s lack of quarterback depth after Vols coach Josh Heupel cut ties with Iamaleava. The QB skipped a practice Friday and was noncommunicative.
“They are at nada, zero,” Meyer said.
He noted Tennessee only has redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and freshman George MacIntyre on the roster as it stands. He said that Tennessee is “going to go start swinging” in the portal to add a quarterback.
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Iamaleava reportedly entered the portal Wednesday. He initially sought a renegotiation to his NIL deal, which reportedly paid him more than $2 million per year. He missed UT’s final practice of spring on Friday. ESPN’s Chris Low, citing sources, reported that Iamaleava’s representatives wanted his NIL pay increased to $4 million per year, using the possibility of him entering the portal as leverage.
Heupel informed the Vols that Iamaleava was longer a member of the Tennessee football team on Saturday prior to the spring game.
Meyer credited Heupel with taking a stand, but pointed out the risks attached to it if Tennessee’s season does not go well.
“Everybody’s saying, ‘Nice job Tennessee, making a stand,’ ” Meyer said. “I’ve got a little comment on that. Tennessee plays Florida usually every year in October. Can you imagine that game’s going the other way and Josh Heupel grabs the microphone and stands on the 50-yard line in Neyland Stadium and says, ‘It’s OK, I made a stand way back when.’ ”
Iamaleava entering the portal endied his career with Tennessee after two seasons. He redshirted as a freshman in 2023 then was the quarterback on Tennessee’s first College Football Playoff team in 2024.
He passed for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions, but struggled against good competition.
Meyer was a believer in Iamaleava after a big season debut against Chattanooga in which he completed 22 of 28 passes for 314 yards with three touchdowns. He referred to Iamaleava as a “monster” and suggested he could be a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft.
He repeated that belief Wednesday in saying Tennessee lost “a potential high draft pick,” but felt Iamaleava had a good first year as a starter but not a great year.
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Meyer, who has not coached since 2021 and has not coached in college since 2018, works as an analyst for FOX Sports. He had a 187-32 record in 17 college football seasons, including a 6-0 mark against Tennessee while coaching Florida from 2005-10.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
