Key Vols team leader makes strong statement in the wake of Nico Iamaleava's departure from Tennessee that UT fans will appreciate
The Tennessee Vols and quarterback Nico Iamaleava officially parted ways on Saturday. Iamaleava is set to enter the NCAA transfer portal after Tennessee's relationship with the former five-star recruit deteriorated amid reports of an NIL contract negotiation gone wrong. The timing of the Iamaleava transfer report was interesting because it came on the same day […]
The Tennessee Vols and quarterback Nico Iamaleava officially parted ways on Saturday.
Iamaleava is set to enter the NCAA transfer portal after Tennessee's relationship with the former five-star recruit deteriorated amid reports of an NIL contract negotiation gone wrong.
The timing of the Iamaleava transfer report was interesting because it came on the same day that Tennessee held its annual Orange and White game, which meant that Vols head coach Josh Heupel and various players had to face questions from the media in the immediate aftermath of the news.
One of the Tennessee players who spoke to reporters on Saturday after the spring game was tight end Miles Kitselman, a key team leader who didn't participate in the spring game on Saturday due to injury.
Kitselman made it clear on Saturday that Tennessee's roster, despite the unexpected loss of QB1, is a united front moving forward.
"I've been on some talented teams that haven't done too well because there were a bunch of individuals on those teams," said Kitselman. "And I'm not just saying this to say this, but man, this team's different. Our O-line is close. Our wide receivers are close. Our tight ends are the closest group I've ever been with. Our quarterbacks are close. Man, this team is a team. And like I said before, there's no one else I'd rather go to war with. And just letting these guys know, man, we're good with whoever we got back there at quarterback.
"We got some dogs here. And these two guys (quarterbacks Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre), we got guys that want to be here. We got guys that want to give their all. And they're going to go the extra mile to do whatever they can to give us the best opportunity to win on Saturdays."
Iamaleava is an incredibly talented player and the Vols will undoubtedly miss his talent on Saturdays.
But Heupel made it clear on Saturday that the expectation for Tennessee is still to compete for a championship in 2025.
"This program is ready to go win next fall," said Heupel on Saturday. "And as a program, since we’ve been here, we’ve won with a lot of different QB’s. Done it historically in my career with a lot of different QBs. Some of those guys have been older, some of them have been younger. But we’ll have a quarterback that’s ready to go win and help us compete for a championship.”
