Tennessee Moves On From Starting QB Nico Iamaleava

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"This program has been around for a long time," Heupel said after the Volunteers played their spring game Saturday. "There are a lot of great coaches, a lot of great players who 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 gone and after they're gone."

Iamaleava notified offensive coordinator Joey Halzle late Friday night that he was in the process of filling out his paperwork and planned to enter the transfer portal when it opens Wednesday, sources told ESPN's Chris Low. Heupel and other staff members had been trying to reach Iamaleava and his representatives to no avail after he missed practice and meetings earlier Friday, sources said.

Tennessee was aware that Iamaleava's representatives had reached out to at least one other school, Oregon, prior to the start of spring practice, sources told ESPN, but Oregon said it wasn't interested.

The day before the winter portal ended in January, Iamaleava's representatives asked for his deal to increase to the $4 million range, but Tennessee didn't redo it.

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