Over the last few days, the big college football news has been the NIL drama surrounding Tennessee and their now departed quarterback, Nico Iamaleava. Reports suggest the 2023 No.1 ranked recruit wanted much more than his original NIL deal, resulting in him hitting the transfer portal.
It's led to some angry Vols fans and plenty of social media memes. One involved an iconic photo of current Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin during his time as the Tennessee head coach. Somebody had photoshopped Iamaleava's head over Kiffin, where he is standing in the corridor, leaning against the wall.
Kiffin has reacted to the image, using a single emoji, the face palm.
🤦🏼♂️ https://t.co/kLne3Pf0Lk
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) April 12, 2025
The image in question is from Kiffin's time as the Tennessee head coach during the 2009 season. After just one year, he took the USC job, angering the Vols fans. When he returned to Neyland Stadium with Ole Miss, he was greeted with thrown objects: golf balls, mustard bottles, and other things.
However, regarding the situation with Iamaleava, he could be on his way to being more hated than Kiffin, which is a hard thing to do. One fan said, "He's Lane Kiffin'd us."
His demands, which have not been met, have left Tennessee without an experienced quarterback for the 2025 season. The redshirt sophomore is now looking for a new program, and with SEC teams out of the question due to transfer rules during the Spring, it will be tough to find the money he wants alongside a team that will compete.
Reports have also suggested that Notre Dame and USC are out on Iamaleava, which means the list of potential destinations is growing smaller. This drama may continue for several weeks.