It's no secret that Joel Klatt is a Volunteer naysayer. However, it was entirely uncalled for (and unexpected) when the college football analyst cut off the Tennessee program at its knees.
Klatt, who has repeatedly denied the Tennessee Volunteers what they're due, recently shared his take on the Nico Iamaleava storyline, saying that the problem was largely on the Vols and head coach Josh Heupel.
"I would defend Nico a little bit," Klatt said. "He never really got a chance to tell his side of the story, and Tennessee ran out, basically, a propaganda effort and got to tell the story without Nico being involved at all."
Klatt went on to say that the issue Iamaleava had was not related to money, and it was instead about Heupel's offensive scheme, which he likened to a high school offensive format.
Why did Nico Iamaleava leave Tennessee?
Simply put, Klatt's take on the Iamaleava situation in Knoxville is insane. He said it was never about the money because the quarterback ended up at UCLA. In reality, the Bruins were the only program still interested in Iamaleava after all of the drama.
Oh boy where do I even begin with this. For starters, I always knew and I’m sure the rest of Vol nation knew that @joelklatt was anti Tennessee and has always spewed anti @Vol_Football narratives, but this one takes the cake…🧵 pic.twitter.com/dAPnKVfxOk
— Hank Powell (@HankPowell6) August 26, 2025
Also, claiming that Iamaleava never got to have a say is entirely incorrect. His father, who acts as the young quarterback's manager and agent, repeatedly shared that his son was worth more than what the Volunteers were willing to offer.
Of course, Klatt had to get the dig in at Heupel and his offensive plan, which is really run by offensive coordinator Joey Halzle, simply due to his dislike of Tennessee.
While Heupel decided to dismiss Iamaleava once all of the drama started, that isn't why the quarterback left Knoxville. Klatt made sure that his distrust in and doubt of the Volunteers was known, but blaming Tennessee and Heupel for Iamaleava's departure was an unnecessary and incorrect stray.
The Vols will kick off their season, with Joey Aguilar as the likely starting quarterback, on Saturday, Aug. 30, at noon. Tennessee will face the Syracuse Orange, and the game will be broadcast on ABC.