Josh Heupel has officially erased Nico Iamaleava from the Tennessee football conversation.
During a recent radio appearance on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, the Vols head coach was asked about the ongoing fallout from Iamaleava’s departure.
Before the question even finished, Heupel cut in with a new label: “Let’s start calling it the Joey Aguilar situation.” And just like that, the Nico chapter in Knoxville was officially closed, at least on the surface.
Tennessee clearly has moved on from Nico Iamaleava
Heupel’s response says everything about where his head’s at—and where he wants everyone else’s to be. The high-profile quarterback drama that dominated Tennessee’s offseason isn’t about Iamaleava anymore. It’s about Aguilar, the guy stepping into the spotlight.
“At the end of the day, that’s just the landscape. You’re not going to keep everybody," Heupel said. "You have opportunities to put your roster together. I feel like we’ve got a team that’s accountable and connected, works hard, competes hard, and we’re built to win. Now we’ve got to go earn it every single day."
What makes this even more interesting is that Aguilar still hasn’t arrived in Knoxville. ESPN’s Chris Low reported that Aguilar remained enrolled in online classes at Appalachian State rather than starting at UCLA. Because of that, there’s a chance he joins the Vols earlier than expected—possibly by mid-to-late May. UCLA’s quarter system would’ve delayed his arrival, but this path could speed things up.
None of that is bothering Heupel, who is clearly trying to move the program forward. He made it clear that the team is focused, and he believes that they are "built to win."
It will be interesting, though, to see how Tennessee is able to perform this season with Iamaleava at the helm and Aguilar essentially taking over late in the game. The Vols fortunately have a softer schedule in the SEC this season, but not having the player who was considered the best on the team coming into the spring certainly isn't going to help matters.