Tennessee football projected starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava has officially entered the transfer portal.

He entered on Wednesday, the day the spring portal window opened, with a "do not contact" tag, according to On3 Sports' Pete Nakos.

The Vols' signal caller was set to lead the team in his third year with the program and second as the starter.

However, reports surfaced days before the spring Orange and White Game revolving around NIL negotiations. That same night, his father denied the reports.

On the Friday before the spring game, he did not show up to practice. As a result, Josh Heupel announced the program was moving forward without him.

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Iamaleava is coming off his second season with Tennessee and first as the starter.

He led the Vols to a College Football Playoff berth before falling on the road to Ohio State in the opening round. It was the second double-digit win season under Josh Heupel.

Iamaleava finished the year with 2,616 passing yards on 64% completion. He threw for 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also ran for 364 yards and three touchdowns.

He was the first Tennessee true or redshirt freshman quarterback to lead the Vols to 10 regular season wins. He also notched a Tennessee record by being named SEC Freshman of the Week four times, breaking Tyler Bray’s old record of three

As a true freshman, Iamaleava started in the Citrus Bowl. He led the Vols to a dominant win over Iowa.

On the year, he threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns while scampering for 71 yards and three scores. He did not throw an interception.

Iamaleava was a five-star recruit and No. 2 overall player in the 2023 class. He was the top player out of California and No. 2 at his position.

The only player in front of him was Arch Manning, the current Texas signal caller.

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