© Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel via Imagn
Former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Harrison Bailey never crossed paths with Nico Iamaleava. But that didn’t keep the Vols signal caller from offering his view of the controversial transfer that has shocked the college football world. Bailey, a former four-star recruit who left Tennessee for UNLV in 2022 and is now at Florida, said he’s not surprised to see Iamaleava move on, but not for the reason you’d think.
“I didn’t even know until some of the Gator fans ran up to me, telling me,” Bailey said during a Monday press conference. “It doesn’t surprise — I don’t really know. It’s a tricky, um. I don’t know the full situation so I can’t really comment too much on it. But I’ve met Nico before and I know how Coach Heupel and the group is. They’re all great people, I have nothing negative to say about them. Maybe the situation wasn’t right at the time and they parted ways.”
Former Tennessee QB Harrison Bailey was asked about the Nico situation.
He stops himself before he says “It doesn’t surprise me.”
pic.twitter.com/w5ILEsPLGu— College Transfer Portal (@CollegeFBPortal) April 14, 2025
Ex-Tennessee QB Harrison Bailey Dances Around Nico Iamaleava Transfer Question
It’s clear that Bailey made sure to choose his words carefully. He himself is well traveled, having gone from Tennessee to UNLV to Louisville and now Florida. But it’s also clear that he believes that Tennessee coach Josh Heupel and Iamaleava may not have been the best culture fit.
Former head coach Jeremy Pruitt initially recruited Bailey to Tennessee by But Pruitt was let go after his true freshman season. He then threw 75 passes, completing 51 of them for 594 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions as a redshirt freshman under Heupel. But that was the end of his career with the Vols.
Bailey doesn’t appear to harbor any ill will toward Heupel and Tennessee. At least, not outwardly. But he seems to understand why Iamaleava would leave, and it seems to be about more than just money.