Tennessee ended spring football practices on Saturday with its Orange & White Game. Team Orange tied Team White, 14-14, at Neyland Stadium.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava did not play in the Orange & White Game and intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel discussed Iamaleava not playing in the Orange & White Game.
"Today’s landscape of college football, it’s different than what it has been, and it’s unfortunate, just the situation and where we’re at with Nico," Heupel said. "I want to thank him for everything that he’s done since he’s gotten here. That’s as a recruit to who he was as a player and how he competed inside of the building, so a great appreciation for that side of it.
“Obviously we’re moving forward as a program without him. I said it to the guys today, there’s no one that’s bigger than the Power T and that includes me, and they hear me say that a lot inside of that team room. This program’s been around for a long time with a lot of great coaches, a lot of great players that came before that laid the cornerstone pieces, the legacy, the tradition that is Tennessee football. It’s going to be around a long time after I’m done and after they’re gone, and that’s what’s special about being here is that there is a legacy and a tradition that is so rich and a logo that’s recognized not just across the nation but across the world too."
This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Josh Heupel discusses Vols moving on from quarterback Nico Iamaleava
