Something’s cooking down in Rocky Top—and it isn’t cornbread. Just when Tennessee fans thought the whole NIL soap opera had hit peak drama, Nico Iamaleava said – ‘Run me my money’ – and the Vols hit back with a fat old ‘Nah.’ Then, boom—like a plot twist out of a bad Netflix series—Nico is gone. Portal-bound. No hugs, no farewell video, no Rocky Top fadeout. Just straight up ghosted. And now, outta nowhere, an SEC insider drops a $1.8 million bombshell “fix” for Tennessee. The kicker? It involves a ‘Bama QB, a possible lawsuit, and the wildest QB room ballad.

Let’s rewind 48-64 hours. Nico Iamaleava, the million-dollar face of Tennessee’s future, pulls a cold one on Vol Nation. Sources say he wanted his $2 million NIL deal doubled — like this was the Waffle House menu or something. Tennessee said, ‘Adios,’ and just like that, their once-golden QB dipped before spring ball even finished stretching. Props to Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, though. The Vols stood on business. “There’s no one bigger than the Power T. That includes me,” he told reporters.

According to SEC insider Steven Lassen, there’s already a fix in mind. Price tag? $1.8 million. Target? Kansas State Wildcat’s Avery Johnson. SEC Mike brought Lassen on to talk about Tennessee’s quarterback chaos. When asked about Avery Johnson as a potential replacement, Lassen didn’t hold back:

“I like Avery Johnson. I don’t love the sub, like, 60% completion rate. I think very much a work in progress as a passer. Dynamic runner, though. Exciting type of player at Kansas State. In fact, I think he might be one of the Big 12’s best quarterbacks coming into the season. If Tennessee could pull that off, I mean, you’re talking about, like, from a replacement standpoint, it’s pretty… Tennessee would be in good shape offensively. I don’t know that he’s necessarily a better fit, but you talk about…. So if Tennessee could pull that off, I think they’d be in good shape.” That’s high praise, considering Johnson’s still a work in progress as a passer. His sub-60% completion rate might not vibe with Heupel’s up-tempo, precision-hungry offense, but the upside is real.

Avery Johnson’s numbers don’t lie. Last season, the Kansas State QB threw for 2,712 yards and 25 touchdowns while rushing for another 605 yards and seven scores. He straight-up torched defenses. In the Rate Bowl against Rutgers, Johnson tossed three TDs and rushed for 57 yards, leading a gutsy 44–41 comeback. This man is chaos in cleats — think Hendon Hooker but rawer. Of course, there’s baggage. Accuracy issues, 10 picks last year, and some boom-or-bust playmaking that needs taming. But as Steven Lassen put it, “You’re talking about giving up a B+ player and getting someone whose upside might be just as great.” So yeah, Johnson might not be Nico 2.0, but maybe that’s a good thing.

Let’s be real: Nico’s departure doesn’t mean it’s the death of this program. It’s just another remix. Heupel might lose a star, but he’s already looking like a producer in search of the next banger. Avery Johnson? Maybe. Gio Lopez from South Alabama? Another maybe. But what’s the name that had both SEC Mike and Lassen side-eying their mics? Jaden Rashada. Yeah, the same one wrapped in NIL lawsuits, flipped from Miami to Florida to Arizona State to Georgia like he was playing NCAA Dynasty Mode with transfers turned on.

Mike joked, “I was gonna make the case that maybe he’s Tennessee’s like… sleeper agent. Like, he went to Florida, got them in trouble… goes to Georgia, maybe picks up a few things… and then goes to Tennessee and just unloads the secrets of the SEC.” But nobody’s laughing when there’s legal baggage, fraud accusations, and a history of ghosting schools mid-season. Vols don’t need another Nico saga. Rashada’s talent? No doubt. But trust? That’s a whole other transfer window.

Now, onto the real twist—

Josh Heupel going to lurk in on Alabama QB to replace Nico Iamaleava?

Let’s cut to the chase. Meet Austin Mack. He’s 6’6″, got a cannon for an arm, and is currently stuck behind Ty Simpson and Keelon Russell in Alabama’s QB depth chart. Scott Fisher rooted for Mack on his namesake show: “My second guy on the Tennessee football transfer wish list is Austin Mack from Alabama… Austin Mack ended up having a crazy story…. At 6’6, he also had the length, and the guy just looked the part of a future star… Austin Mack has the height and the arm to guide this Tennessee high-octane offense. And I think with a little bit of polishment, [he] could be a really good quarterback in their system. Mack’s a guy whose talent, I think, is being wasted. And [he] would probably do better at Tennessee than at Bama.” In short words; he called him ‘future star’ who’s ‘being wasted’ in Bama’s QB battle. And honestly? He ain’t wrong.

Austin Mack balled out in high school—3,500 yards and 40 TDs in his junior year at Folsom High. That’s not just potential; that’s straight-up box office. He reclassified early to join Alabama’s class of ‘23, which means he’s got time to burn. And with the NCAA’s latest eligibility rules, he could technically sit a year without losing one.

Josh Heupel’s offense is built for arms like Mack’s. Think about it: spread system, tempo, wide windows, vertical shots. Mack’s got the frame, the power, and the upside to cook in Knoxville. What he needs is reps. Real snaps. And Tennessee needs a new star to believe in. Fans don’t want a bridge quarterback; they want a real baller who makes Neyland light up like it’s 2022 again.

But there’s a catch: If Mack transfers now, he can’t play in the fall due to SEC intra-conference transfer rules this late in the calendar. So Heupel’s gotta play the long game here. Bring Mack in, polish him for a year, then let him loose in 2026. It ain’t ideal, but hey—it’s better than another NIL diva saga. In the meantime, Tennessee’s QB room is drier than a Popeye’s biscuit. They’ll need a short-term patch and a long-term plan. Johnson or Mack could be the latter. Maybe Gio Lopez handles the stopgap. Either way, Heupel knows he has to cook fast if he wants to keep that offense from turning into a mid-pack snoozefest.

This whole mess? It’s a case study in the NIL era. QBs are brands now. Loyalty takes a backseat to bag-chasing. But for every high-profile exit, there’s a comeback story waiting to be written. Tennessee’s got the platform. Neyland’s got the lights. Guess who ain’t got much options now, it’s Nico. And Josh Heupel? Boy, he’s got options. Now he just needs the right one to say yes.