It's time to move forward. In a flash, Nico Iamaleava has gone from the starting quarterback for the Tennessee Vols and one of the most exciting players in the SEC to someone who is now looking for a new place to call home. This is something the guys still in the locker room aren't worried about.
During Saturday's spring game, plenty of studs balled out, reminding everyone that this offense still has a ton of potential regardless of who the starting quarterback will be. Senior tight end Miles Kitselman, still recovering from offseason surgery, is ready to be a guy for younger players to look up too as well.
While speaking to the media on Saturday after the spring game, Kitselman, a former Alabama transfer, said the squad has already moved on and that the focus is on the players in Knoxville who are all-in on helping the program:
Miles Kitselman says they have players that want to be here, and the team is filled with dogs pic.twitter.com/U9uuSFuLwq
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) April 12, 2025
Miles Kitselman is focused on the Tennessee Vols looking forward and not backwards
"Ive been on some talented teams that haven't done too well because there are a bunch of individuals on those teams," Kitselman said. "I'm not just saying this, but this team's different. Our o-line is close, our wide receivers are close, our tights ends are the closest group I've ever been with. Our quarterbacks are close - this team is a team. Like I said before, there's no one else I'd rather go to war with."
That's quite the statement from Kitselman and it's no question one that Vols Nation can rally around. At the end of the day, this came down to a contract dispute for Iamaleava, who was not happy about the around $2.5 million he's currently taking home per season. He wanted that upped to $4 million, but the Vols weren't going to reach that figure for him.
Because of that, everything went south and there indeed will be a new QB1 for Tennessee this fall. Will that end up being Jake Merklinger or George MacIntyre? That's up in the air, but Heupel did confirm that UT will bring in a new quarterback once the spring portal opens up.
Multiple times on Saturday, Heupel said there's no single person that will come ahead of the program as a whole. This is something Kitselman and his teammates have fully bought into. That wasn't the case for Iamaleava it seems, but again, that's something Kitselman and the Vols no longer have to be focused on.