Tennessee Volunteers coach Josh Heupel pinpointed the exact moment he knew Nico Iamaleava would be exiting the program via the transfer portal amid the NIL contract dispute.

Tennessee held its spring game on Saturday afternoon in the midst of a public breakup with starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Right before the festivities began, Heupel addressed the decision to move on from Iamaleava for the first time.

Iamaleava, a potential first-round NFL Draft pick in 2026, wanted to renegotiate his multi-year, $10 million NIL deal with the school, according to ESPN. Tennessee became aware that Iamaleava’s camp had reached out to Oregon about a potential transfer, the report said.