When Nico Iamaleava signed an $8 million NIL deal with Tennessee in 2022, he was meant to lead Josh Heupel’s high-octane offense into the College Football Playoff era. But three years later, it took just 72 hours for it all to fall apart. As 30,000 fans reached Neyland Stadium, repping Nico Iamaleave’s No.8 jersey for the Orange and White Spring game, their hopes broke when the QB1 ghosted. No signs. No communication. For a quarterback once called the face of Rocky Top, it felt like betrayal. And it wasn’t just about football.

There was pride involved, loyalty questioned, and lots of money tossed around. But the $2.4 million/ year was not enough. Nico’s father, Nic, and his agents, reportedly pressed Tennessee for a $4 million deal which the Vols respectfully denied. The fight turned ugly, and when the dust settled four days later, he was back on the West Coast, dressing up for HC DeShaun Foster’s UCLA. But it seems like the QB is en route to making amends. And it starts with Knoxville.

On Sunday, the QB took it to his Instagram and with five quiet words that carried the weight of a farewell, showed his 203k followers what Tennessee meant to him: “gon[na] miss my real ones.”

Attached was a throwback highlight reel of his Tennessee days. The reel captured all the moments that hit hard, from Nico wearing a cowboy hat with the Tennessee “T” on it, to the band outside of the Neyland Stadium, to him taking snaps in warmups and games. But what really took the spotlight was a clip from their 24-17 win over Alabama after which the QB walked towards the Vols HC Josh Heupel and the latter gave him a little tuck on the helmet, all smiles all around as the reel ended with Nico smoking a Cigar with tears in his eyes, then surrounded by his teammates, walking off the turf.

The post was a Californian saying goodbye in Tennessee way, only amplifying the meaning of the gesture with Morgan Wallen’s “7 Summers”—a track loaded with lyrics that felt ripped straight from his own story: “Yeah, you used to talk about getting even further South…But I wonder when you’re drinking if you find yourself thinking about that boy from East Tennessee…”

For a player once hailed as Knoxville’s savior, this was more than just a social media memory dump. It was a heartfelt tribute. And to be fair, Nico gave the Vols plenty to remember even if Heupel’s defense worked just as hard too.

In 2024, he exploded onto the scene with a 314-yard first half against Chattanooga—setting a school record in the opener. He threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns, guiding the Vols to a 10–3 season and their first-ever CFP berth. In January, he plunged into the turf with a four-touchdown masterpiece against Iowa in the Citrus Bowl, earning MVP honors as a freshman. In all these moments, he was Tennessee football.

But all that changed by April 2025, when Iamaleava bolted for UCLA. In what felt like a surreal trade, the Vols picked up former Bruins commit Joey Aguilar, who now takes over the offense. Aguilar might not have Nico’s ceiling, but he’s no slouch either. Is it a step back for Tennessee? Depends on who you ask.

“Losing Nico [Iamaleava] isn’t good,” one SEC coach told Athlon Sports. “They’re not replacing him with a more talented quarterback, and they’re losing the QB who ran their system in a playoff game. But because of the way everything went down, I don’t think anyone blames the program or Josh [Heupel], and with the turnover on defense, Nico leaving makes a transition year a lot easier to stomach.”

And it’s true—the Vols weren’t a one-man show last season. Dylan Sampson, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, was the true offensive engine. And Tim Banks’ defense? Lights out. But nothing stopped Foster who “had to do” everything in his hands to get Nico home.

DeShaun Foster delivers a bold statement on Nico Iamaleava

With Nico back in LA, the narrative could’ve easily become all about drama. But UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster isn’t letting that happen. Instead, he’s flipping the script. Appearing on The Unafraid Show with George Wrighster on May 29, Foster made his stance clear:

“Being that he’s a playoff quarterback, it was huge. It was in every television, all social media streams, everything. But when you’re getting a big-time quarterback, somebody that can catapult this program in the direction that we need to go in, it was something that I had to do. At the end of the day, they’re right back home where they need to be.”

That “something” included not just landing Nico, but also securing his younger brother, Madden Iamaleava—a package deal that instantly elevated UCLA’s recruiting status. Foster wasn’t shy about the stakes: this is about making UCLA a real contender in the B1G. While some critics chalked up Nico’s move as a cushy return home or another NIL saga, Foster doubled down on the bigger picture.

And he might be right. Nico Iamaleava still has the goods. He threw dimes in the SEC. He led a team to the CFP. He posted a 63.8% completion rate last season per ESPN. And he’s already sitting in PFF’s Trevor Sikkema’s top-5 QBs for the 2026 NFL Draft.

He left Tennessee under a cloud of controversy, but he didn’t burn the bridge. That five-word post said everything fans needed to hear. Whatever went wrong behind the scenes, Nico still carries Rocky Top with him. Now, as Tennessee turns the page and UCLA writes a new chapter, all eyes will be on what comes next. And Nico Iamaleava, for better or worse, has moved on.