Nico Iamaleava's latest claim about Tennessee might make you laugh

C'mon Nico Iamaleava, you can't be serious. Everyone is trying to move on, and you just keep adding gas to the fire. 

​We were all good with the family explanation of your transfer to UCLA. It makes sense. Knoxville is a long way from Southern California and not every environment is made for every person. All of these things made perfect sense.

But now you're suggesting the Vols staff didn't push you hard enough? Miss me with that. 

Iamaleava's was describing how the past three months had been for him since leaving Knoxville for Westwood, and he said the following: “Just being in the locker room with the guys. They’re very welcoming of me. The whole staff, the whole strength staff… Never been pushed like this by a staff before. I’m excited to go to work for these guys.”

There has been a lot made of Josh Heupel's demeanor over his tenure as a head coach. He's not often seen frantically screaming at players or assistants like a raging maniac and at times he seems a little too relaxed. Those concerns came up last season, especially after a disappointing loss to Arkansas where running back Dylan Sampson said the Vols were lackadaisical over the bye week before the game.

But Heupel also has a reputation for pushing his quarterbacks and getting the most out of their ability. Drew Lock, who played for Heupel when he was the offensive coordinator at Missouri, said that Heupel was "driven and competitive" and added the coach "played a huge role in his development on and off the field."

And Iamaleava's predecessor, Joe Milton, was very complimentary of the coaching investment Heupel made in him, saying the coach taught him to "keep going, no matter what".

That doesn't sound like a guy that was apprehensive about pushing a player too far when he needed to, especially his quarterback, . Breakups are never easy, especially in college football. And the Iamaleava-Tennessee breakup was even tougher than most. But the Vols are ready to move on and focus on the 2025 season, so it's time for Iamaleava to do the same.