Tennessee Volunteers football head coach Josh Heupel knows the quarterback battle will be tough even after the departure of Nico Iamaleava.

Iamaleava left the Volunteers this offseason as he transferred to the UCLA Bruins. It was a controversial exit as the argument involved NIL negotiations that didn't go in the quarterback's favor.

Heupel reflected on the situation in an interview with Nashville's 104.5 The Zone during his time at SEC Media Days in Atlanta on Tuesday. He knows whoever wins the starting job at quarterback will have a lot of responsibility, something he hopes they will live up to.

“Well, you've got to. We've got a competition. Let's go. That's fun. It's not anything we haven't been through at Tennessee or previously. The thing that I do like is they're good teammates. They care about each other. They've handled it in a positive way. Even though they're competing every minute of the day in the position room, on the practice field, in the weight room, they've handled it in a really positive way. They encourage and challenge each other the right way,” Heupel said.

“The strength of any one group can't be one guy. That's true at quarterback, too, and I've lived the life where somebody's got to step in. At the end of the day, we're clear with our communication of those guys: Listen, you're all competing. Everything you're doing every day is going to be a part of that process and decision process. And, at the end of the day, somebody's got to go learn it, earn it and go take the job. And I think it's important at every position, but certainly at quarterback, that your team sees that, too. It reinforces everything that you talk about.”

What's next for Josh Heupel, Tennessee

University of Tennessee Volunteers head football coach Josh Heupel speaks during the Nashville stop for University of Tennessee's 2025 Big Orange Caravan event Wednesday, April 30, 2025 at GEODIS Park.
Alan Poizner/For The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Josh Heupel will have a tough time deciding between the Tennessee Volunteers quarterbacks who will be Nico Iamaleava's successor.

Iamaleava made 13 starts last year, completing 213 passes for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns. He led them to a 10-3 record, reaching the College Football Playoff. However, their season came to an end after losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes, who went on to win the national championship.

There are three players who will compete for the starting job this season: Joey Aguilar, Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre.

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