Overview

• NFL analyst Kirk Herbstreit said on the Try That In a Small Town Podcast that Nico Iamaleava’s father pressed Coach Josh Heupel last December to upgrade Tennessee’s offensive line and receiving corps.
• At SEC Media Days, Josh Heupel underscored a next-man-up mentality, stressing that the program’s focus is on current players rather than those who have departed.
• Volunteers players Bryson Eason and Arion Carter publicly expressed support for Iamaleava and reinforced the principle that no individual is bigger than the team.
• Josh Heupel has opened the starting quarterback competition to Appalachian State transfer Joey Aguilar, redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre.
• Iamaleava has enrolled at UCLA under a reported $2 million per year NIL deal and is slated to address his transfer decision at Big Ten media days on July 24.