And the answer is?
“What is Tennessee.”
Former Tennessee football quarterback Nico Iamaleava was the subject of a “Jeopardy” category for “Fitting Sports Names” during the March 23 episode.
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The clue was “In 2025 star quarterback Nico Iamaleava said I am a-leav-ing this school’s Volunteers for UCLA.”
Erin Howard, a community membership facilitator from Shrewsbury Massachusetts, answered correctly. Howard, however, did not win the game.
Iamaleava was a no-show at practice the day before Tennessee’s spring game on April 12, 2025. It was announced Iamaleava would not attend Tennessee’s spring game, and the Vols were moving forward without him.
It was a shocking end to the Vols’ three-year marriage to Iamaleava that began with a blockbuster NIL deal, survived an NCAA investigation and concluded with an underwhelming debut season as the starter.
Iamaleava, the five-star recruiting gem, signed an NIL contract in March 2022 that could’ve paid him more than $8 million by the end of his third year at UT. Reports surfaced that Iamaleava’s representatives wanted his NIL pay increased to $4 million per year, using the possibility of him entering the portal as leverage.
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Iamaleava left UT after two seasons that included a 2023 redshirt year and one season as the starter in 2024. He played 18 games with 14 starts for the Vols.
He completed 241 of 379 passes for 2,930 yards, 21 touchdowns and five interceptions. And he rushed for 435 yards and six TDs, although three of those scores were in his first start as the Citrus Bowl MVP following the 2023 season.
Iamaleava faced enormous expectations in the 2024 season, which he didn’t reach. He got preseason Heisman Trophy buzz before even starting an SEC game.
Iamaleava was solid but unspectacular individually. He racked up big stats against mediocre opponents but struggled against the best teams on the Vols’ schedule. And he got little help from an offensive line that didn’t protect him and receivers who sometimes didn’t get open.
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Iamaleava passed for 2,616 yards, 19 TDs and five interceptions in 2024.
The offense struggled at times. But Iamaleava improved late in the season and led UT to a 10-3 record and its first appearance in the College Football Playoff.
It was supposed to be the first big step of the Iamaleava era. Instead, it was the last.
Adam Sparks contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Nico Iamaleava’s Tennessee transfer on ‘Jeopardy’
