Tennessee coach Josh Heupel was on the team bus Saturday morning as it pulled in front of Neyland Stadium for the annual spring game. It was the end of a tumultuous, and potentially career-defining, week.
The Volunteers had just split with their star quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, after an attempted renegotiation of Iamaleava's compensation for the 2025 season fell through.
Heupel and Iamaleava had always had a strong relationship, but when the QB didn't report to practice Friday, there was little choice. "We're moving on as a program without him," Heupel would say later.
After all, how can you run a college team when your leader is holding out?