“It’s ridiculous”: Former Alabama QB bluntly calls out Nico Iamaleava’s camp’s justification for leaving Tennessee

Nico Iamaleava will wear new colors for the 2025 college football campaign. The former Tennessee Volunteers starting quarterback entered the transfer portal and will take his talents to the UCLA Bruins for the 2025 college football season.

Iamaleava was instrumental in the Volunteers reaching their first college football playoffs, but a contract dispute means that he'll be playing his football elsewhere in 2025. Former Alabama quarterback turned broadcaster Greg McElroy has called out the quarterback's justification for leaving the Volunteers.

Speaking on the ESPN College Football broadcast, McElroy said:

"I think it’s kind of amazing how this has been handled in the court of public opinion and how Nico’s camp has been outspoken about making this a football decision.

"I completely disagree with that by the way, but the chatter coming out of Nico’s camp was that they were looking for assurances about improving his weaponry on the perimeter at wide receiver and his offensive line”.

McElroy continued:

“Like those were the reasons Nico was unsettled at Tennessee. I think it’s ridiculous. I think this was purely about the economics of the situation.”

McElroy believes that Nico Iamaleava could have gone on to become a Tennessee Volunteers legend had he remained with the program. However, he must now chart new territory at UCLA, starting from Week 1 of the 2025 college football season.

How did Nico Iamaleava perform at Tennessee?

Nico Iamaleava was named the Volunteers' starting quarterback for the 2024 CFB season. He spent his true freshman campaign as Joe Milton's backup, but was thrust into the QB1 spot following Milton's entry into the NFL.

Iamaleava adjusted to that role admirably and put up a stat line of 2,616 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, with five interceptions in 13 games. He was a driving force behind the program's run to the college football playoffs despite stiff competition in the SEC. His performances earned him early shouts for the 2025 Heisman Trophy Award.

However, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, Iamaleava's Heisman Trophy odds have dropped since he joined the UCLA Bruins. The report states that Nico Iamaleava's odds have dropped from the +1000 range to +8000. He's now out of the Top 25 odds for the most prestigious honor in college football.