If you thought you were having a tough time dealing with the Nico Iamaleava news, guess again. A wild story has arrived via WVLT 8 in Knoxville. That'd be the story of pastor John Sullivan, who is thankful to be alive right now.
While preaching a sermon over in South Africa, Sullivan, a huge Tennessee Vols fan, was reportedly robbed at gunpoint and kidnapped. After a week of being held, he was rescued, with three of the kidnappers being killed. Sullivan was finally able to reconnect with his family earlier this week. One of the main talking points? Yeah, that Iamaleava entered the transfer portal and he's leaving the Vols:
‘He was upset over Nico’ | Maryville pastor learns of Nico and Vols split moments after being rescued https://t.co/ECXnEwzOVl
— wvlt (@wvlt) April 17, 2025
A Tennessee pastor robbed at gunpoint was disappointed when learning Nico Iamaleava was transferring
This is absolutely unreal. According to Fellowship Baptist Church pastor Tom Hatley, Sullivan ended up having a long talk about with his wife, who shared the news that her husband indeed was down in the dumps that Josh Heupel was losing his starting quarterback. So, this young man faced a near-death experience, but he was more worried about the Tennessee offense than what just happened?
“And they said, well, you know, Nico left, didn’t you? And his wife told me last night that the biggest conversation they’ve had has been about Nico. Hey, the boy was raised in East Tennessee, what can I tell you?” Hatley told WVLT.
This is the textbook definition of someone who's a fan through and through for his team. Sullivan should be happy to know that while Iamaleava has left Knoxville, reportedly to sign with UCLA, Heupel is going to have a backup plan in place.
For now, Jake Merklinger is the expected starter for the 2025 campaign, but with the portal officially open, Heupel is ready to bring in an experienced signal-caller to compete for the starting job. As for Sullivan, we're glad he's alright and that he can put this horrible ordeal behind him. Go ahead and take a couple days off and rest, Mr. Sullivan: some good Vols news should be on the way for you soon.