Despite shaking up college football by shockingly deciding to move on from Nico Iamaleava, Josh Heupel is not worried about the future of Tennessee. Instead, the Volunteers' head football coach is still cautiously optimistic about his team's 2025 outlook.

Just hours after the announcement went public, Heupel offered up a nonchalant response to his decision. Though he threw a slight at the negative impact of NIL, Heupel voiced no frustration, merely saying he would “move forward” with his team.

“Man, listen, it's the state of college football,” Heupel said to Brett Hubbs of the Vol Network. “At the end of the day, no one's ever bigger than the program. That includes me too. We got an opportunity, we got a bunch of guys ready to give their all to Tennesssee. We move forward; we got a great group. Let's go compete.”

Tennessee made the decision after Iamaleava missed team practices and meetings while attempting to hold out and negotiate a new NIL deal with the program. He is expected to enter the spring transfer portal once it opens on April 16.

Heupel broke the silence on the Iamaleava situation just before Tennessee's “Orange & White” spring football game. The star quarterback's missed practice came on Friday morning, one day before the Volunteers' annual scrimmage.

Iamaleava's Tennessee football career closes as nothing short of a disappointment. Despite taking the Volunteers to their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, his bitter departure leaves a lot to be desired. The former five-star prospect landed in Knoxville as the school's highest-rated quarterback prospect since Peyton Manning but will leave without coming close to fulfilling any of his lofty expectations.

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Josh Heupel's Tennessee football outlook without Nico Iamaleava

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) exits the field after the game at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee opted not to broadcast its spring game but moved forward with freshmen quarterbacks Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre. Merklinger and MacIntyre are the team's only two remaining signal-callers, making the “Orange & White” game an extended opportunity for both to make their case.

Although both Merklinger and MacIntyre committed to Tennessee as four-star recruits, more fans are intrigued by the latter. MacIntyre, a true freshman, enrolled early after committing to the Volunteers as an in-state recruit. Given the magnitude of high school football in Tennessee, many local fans are already excited by the idea of MacIntyre suiting up for his hometown team.

If it is not either Merklinger or MacIntyre, Heupel will have to seek external options from the transfer portal. The spring portal is not typically as active as the winter edition but tends to include a few surprise additions.