Nico Iamaleava opens up on Tennessee exit, hopes fans understand

Nico Iamaleava spoke about his move from Tennessee to UCLA on Thursday during Big Ten Media Days.

It was the talk of college football in the offseason.

On Thursday, Iamaleava’s comments were his first time on the topic, saying that family was his primary motivation for leaving Knoxville.

“I hope Tennessee fans understand that it was really one of the hardest decisions that I ever had to make,” he told reporters. “But I had to do what was best for me and my family. And ultimately, I wanted to come back home and be closer to my family.”

Iamaleava, the returning starter at Tennessee, left the team on the eve of the spring game due a reported NIL dispute, and eventually transferred to UCLA. The former five-star recruit’s departure was one of the stories of the offseason in college football.

Iamaleava skipped Tennessee’s practice on Friday, April 11, the day before the team’s Orange and White spring game. Head coach Josh Heupel announced the following day that Tennessee was “moving on from” Iamaleava.

“I’d say that my decision to leave was extremely hard, one of the hardest decisions that I ever had to make. But family was the biggest thing to me,” Iamaleava said.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter@Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the freeSound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

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