Paul Finebaum Sounds Alarm: Which Major Program Faces a Crisis Heading Into 2025?
So, here’s a real kicker for Tennessee fans and college football junkies alike—what happens when your starting quarterback not only hits the transfer portal but goes on a springtime sit-out, reportedly angling for a fatter NIL bag? Enter Nico Iamaleava, who left the Volunteers’ nest for UCLA, leaving Josh Heupel staring down a quarterback carousel that’s less “elite SEC talent” and more “serviceable at best.” Paul Finebaum, the SEC oracle we all love to quote, didn’t mince words Monday morning: Tennessee’s quarterback situation is shaky, and with a brutal schedule that includes Georgia, Alabama, and Oklahoma, the “Rocky Top” climb could get a lot steeper real fast. But here’s the twist—Finebaum also calls this NIL-era quarterback holdout an inflection point in college football history. Is it just another transfer, or a harbinger of how power dynamics between players and programs will forever shift? Something tells me Tennessee’s 2025 season will answer a few of those heavy questions… unless the Volunteers’ home crowd can pull some magic out of thin air.
Paul Finebaum identified an obvious SEC program in trouble following a significant spring loss.
Tennessee became the center of college football conversation when Nico Iamaleava entered the transfer portal. The starting quarterback sat out a spring practice while reportedly seeking an elevated NIL contract ahead of the 2025 season.
Iamaleava has since left for UCLA, and the Volunteers landed Bruins quarterback Joey Aguilar. However, Finebaum doesn’t know if Josh Heupel’s program will maintain last year’s success after the quarterback swap.
“I think you have to be worried about Tennessee,” Finebaum said on Monday’s McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. “I know that I’m probably not breaking a new story here, but what is the quarterback situation really going to be like? Listen, Aguilar is serviceable. They have two backups who have no experience, but I think that’s a tremendous drop-off.”
Tennessee’s schedule gives Finebaum more cause for concern. The Volunteers host Georgia in Week 3 and later face Alabama and Oklahoma, which the ESPN analyst identified as a team he feels “really good” about following a strong offseason.
Despite Tennessee’s perceived quarterback downgrade, Finebaum said two weeks ago that the program made the “right call” to let Iamaleava walk. He felt the situation had massive ramifications for college football.
“The bigger story here is beyond Nico. This is an inflection point in the history of college football,” Finebaum declared. “This is the first time in this NIL era that we have had a literal holdout.”
Finebaum claimed various sources within the SEC ranked Iamaleava from sixth to eighth among the conference’s quarterbacks before he transferred. He called Iamaleava’s exit a “body blow” for Tennessee but believes the situation will give head coach Josh Heupel some leeway if the team struggles in 2025.
Tennessee made last season’s College Football Playoff by going 10-2 with a perfect home record. Iamaleava posted a 145.3 quarterback rating with 19 passing touchdowns and five interceptions, but he completed just 14 of 31 passes for 104 yards in a first-round loss to Ohio State.
Related: Report: College Quarterback Declined Lucrative Offer From Tennessee
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