58 days after Nico Iamaleava's controversial exit, CFB insider dishes on Tennessee potentially finishing in bottom four of SEC

The exit of quarterback Nico Iamaleava from the Tennessee Volunteers program was very controversial. To many, his departure was the first ever contract dispute in college football, and may set a precedent for others to behave in the same way.

The impact of Iamaleava's departure on the Tennessee Volunteers is likely to be massive.

On the latest edition of his show, college football analyst Josh Pate reacted to a viewer's comment that the Volunteers would finish in the bottom four of the SEC.

"That's pretty bold. I think the markets are too high on Tennessee... There was already a lot of question marks on that team before the quarterback thing happened. I believe it's a rebuild year for Tennessee... I don't think Tennessee is going bottom four. It's not that bad." (57:27)

Nico Iamaleava had a very strong first year with the Volunteers. He threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns during that season and led Tennessee to a spot in the College Football Playoff.

While this did not end well for Iamaleava and the Volunteers (losing to eventual national champions Ohio State in the first round), it set up both the team and players for what was going to be a good two or three seasons.

Iamaleava was set to be the future leader of the Volunteers, leading the program as quarterback for the next few seasons. If his first season was anything to go by, Tennessee was already in a good position. As Iamaleava progressed and developed throughout his time in college, there was a strong possibility that the Volunteers would be challenging for the national championship.

The departure of Iamaleava has caused the Volunteers' plans to change drastically. They have lost their "franchise quarterback," and in turn, many analysts and fans believe that this team is bound to struggle this season.

Pate believes that while Tennessee is going to have a worse season than last year, the absence of Iamaleava does not put the Volunteers at the bottom of the cellar in the SEC.

Who is likely to fill the role of Nico Iamaleava at Tennessee?

The absence of Iamaleava will leave a hole in the Volunteers' quarterback room. But, Josh Heupel is set to bring in someone who has the potential to fill Iamaleava's spot.

Heupel is set to bring in the five-star rated and overall number one prospect, Fazion Brandon. On Wednesday, ESPN's Tom Luginbill wrote the following about the prospects' place in the Volunteers program.

"Though not quite as polished as Nico Iamaleava coming out of high school, Brandon throws a great deep ball, which Tennessee coach Josh Heupel requires from all his quarterbacks."

Brandon will likely have the same role that Iamaleava had with the Vols. Iamaleava quickly became QB1 for the program, and one would expect Brandon to do so as well. This will be aided by the departure of 2025's likely starter, Joey Aguilar, who runs out of eligibility after the season.

Edited by Gio Vergara