Tennessee
Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava has plenty of options if he wants to leave Vols
So Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is, according to reports, negotiating with the Vols to stay in Knoxville for the 2025 season.
That’s 14 weeks before the start of the college football season.
Welcome to the wild world of player empowerment, everyone. Or in the old-school negotiating parlance: leverage.
Unless Tennessee wants to intentionally crater its program, it will pay what Iamaleava wants. The only negative for Nico: If he doesn’t play at a high level – among the best at his position in college football – the locker room will eventually turn on him.
Iamaleava is talented but wasn’t exactly an elite player last season. In fact, he was barely among the top half of SEC quarterbacks.
The one thing we (think) we know: If he doesn’t reach a deal with Tennessee, he can’t, by conference mandate, play in the SEC in 2025. Unless he gets an attorney and sues the SEC ― which at this point in the world of player empowerment, wouldn’t surprise anyone.
Here are the top five landing spots for Iamaleava if he decides to leave Tennessee for more green:
Southern California
The road less traveled: back home to Long Beach, California. Forget about projected starter Jayden Maiava. He’s a solid player but he’s not Iamaleava.
Iamaleava knows what USC coach Lincoln Riley did with Heisman winner Caleb Williams, and how he developed two other Heisman winners (Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray) and a Heisman finalist (Jalen Hurts) as coach of Oklahoma.
It’s the easy move with the least amount of complications and the greatest ceiling of all. Moving back to Los Angeles County and saving the USC program.
The only drawback: Playing in the Big Ten won’t be much easier than playing in the SEC.
North Carolina
Let’s see how serious new Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick is about this college thing.
His first season in Chapel Hill comes with three quarterbacks on the roster: injured journeyman Max Johnson, Purdue transfer Ryan Browne and freshman Bryce Baker.
If Iamaleava hits the portal, Belichick should tell GM Michael Lombardi to sign him at all costs. It’s a significant step down in level of play, which would allow Iamaleava to transition quickly and put up big numbers.
Like North Carolina, a no-brainer. Liberty transfer Kaiden Salter is the projected starter, and freshman Julian Lewis the future.
But if CU coach Deion Sanders could get Iamaleava, it would be a game-changer. Imagine the Buffaloes’ offense, so dangerous with Shedeur Sanders the last two seasons, with Iamaleava’s big arm and run threat.
Any combination of Salter and Lewis isn’t getting Colorado to the Big 12 championship game. Iamaleava could.
Indiana
If Iamaleava is solely concerned about rapid improvement and the track record of a coach, he could do a lot worse than connecting with IU and coach Curt Cignetti.
He wins. And develops quarterbacks.
Cignetti worked wonders last year with Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke, who played five uneventful years at Ohio before a breakout season in 2024 with the Hoosiers.
He’s now likely a late-round selection in the NFL draft and wouldn’t have been selected based on his resume from Ohio.
Oregon
A longshot, no doubt. But if you’re Ducks coach Dan Lanning and Iamaleava hits the open market, you must have serious discussions with your offensive staff.
Talented former five-star recruit Dante Moore transferred last year from UCLA and sat behind Dillon Gabriel. He is the projected starter, but that inevitability would be severely tested if Iamaleava were to transfer to Oregon.
Frankly, it’s not a much of a question. You sign Iamaleava – who led his team to the College Football Playoff in his first season as a starter – and move forward with him as your starter.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
Nate Ament on Tuesday night became Tennessee basketball’s highest NBA Draft pick since Marcus Haislip in 2002 when Ament, the former one-and-done five-star freshman wing for the Vols, was the No. 13 overall pick in the first round when he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Haislip also was taken No. 13 by the Bucks.
Ament is the 13th first-round pick in Tennessee program history and the fifth under Rick Barnes. Dalton Knecht was the No. 17 overall pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024, Grant Williams was the No. 22 overall pick to the Boston Celtics in 2019 and both Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer were first-round picks in 2021, with Johnson at No. 21 to the Los Angeles Clippers and Springer at No. 28 to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Vols have had three players in program history picked in the top 10, but none since 1983.
Tennessee in the NBA Draft’s 1st Round
| Pick | Player | Draft Year | Team |
| No. 4 | Tom Boerwinkle | 1968 | Chicago Bulls |
| No. 7 | Bernard King | 1977 | New York Nets |
| No. 9 | Dale Ellis | 1983 | Dallas Mavericks |
| No. 11 | Ernie Grunfeld | 1977 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| No. 11 | Allan Houston | 1993 | Detroit Pistons |
| No. 13 | Marcus Haislip | 2002 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| No. 15 | Reggie Johnson | 1980 | San Antonio Spurs |
| No. 17 | Dalton Knecht | 2024 | LA Lakers |
| No. 19 | Tobias Harris | 2011 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| No. 21 | Keon Johnson | 2021 | LA Clippers |
| No. 22 | Grant Williams | 2019 | Boston Celtics |
| No. 28 | Jaden Springer | 2021 | Philadelphia 76ers |
Nate Ament was ranked as a top-10 prospect in the NBA Draft
Ament entered draft week ranked as both a top-10 prospect in the draft and a projected top-10 pick.
He moved up one spot in ESPN’s final NBA mock draft on Monday, going from No. 10 to the Milwaukee Bucks to No. 9 to the Dallas Mavericks. He was No. 9 overall on ESPN’s ranking of the best players available entering the draft.
“The Nets at No. 6 are seen as the high end,” Woo wrote, “but scenarios are also in play in which he falls into the second half of the lottery. Teams say he has been selective about scheduling workouts, declining to visit multiple teams in the top 10.
“The Mavericks and Bucks are two possible landing spots. If those teams go a different direction, he could slide.”
Nate Ament’s one-and-done season at Tennessee
Ament averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 35 games during his lone season with the Vols. He started in all 35 games he played and averaged 29.7 minutes per game while shooting 39.9% from the field and 33.3% from the 3-point line.
He was the No. 3 overall player in the 2025 class in the On3 recruiting rankings and was the No. 2 small forward in the country and the No. 1 overall player in the state of Virginia.
Ament is the highest-ranked prospect that Rick Barnes has added during his tenure at Tennessee and is believed to one of the highest-ranked recruits to sign with the Vols, alongside Tobias Harris and Allan Houston.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Chattanooga baseball fans got a different kind of scouting report during a recent night at AT&T Field, where the Tennessee Aquarium teamed up with the Chattanooga Lookouts to connect sports with conservation.
The partnership, billed as Conservation Night, brought the Aquarium’s “Animal Athletes” program to the ballpark to teach fans about wildlife and the importance of keeping trash out of waterways.
The event included live animals, interactive games and hands-on activities that highlighted how animals use specialized skills in nature.
“We know that they are here and they are passionate about sports, so let’s get them passionate about nature as well,” said Shawn Brim, community program supervisor at the Tennessee Aquarium.
Visitors learned about animals including tiger salamanders and leopard geckos, while also taking part in challenges inspired by animal behavior.
Brim said the goal was to make conservation approachable by meeting people where they are.
“The primary goal of this event is to connect people with nature, plain and simple. Here we are connecting the sports world to the animal world, highlighting those animal athletes and those special skills in nature.”
Aquarium leaders say they hope a fun experience at a game can lead to lasting conservation habits.
“We’re looking to just spark that curiosity to hopefully spark that change down the road,” Brim said.
Brim said that change matters as environmental challenges continue to affect the Tennessee Valley, with pollution and microplastics among the major concerns for local waterways and wildlife.
“As plastics enter water streams, they end up in tiny pieces, and they do end up in the stomachs of freshwater animals like catfish and sturgeons,” Brim said.
Organizers emphasized that protecting rivers and ecosystems benefits more than wildlife, supporting cleaner water, healthier communities and a stronger quality of life across the region. They also said conservation efforts can start small.
“Figure out where you can have the most impact and where you can have a consistent impact from where you are,” Brim said.
Aquarium staff say they hope fans left with more than memories of the game, taking home a deeper appreciation for the animals and ecosystems that call Tennessee home.
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. — Washington County, Tennessee commissioners held a special-called work session Monday night, focused on a possible tax freeze program for seniors.
The hourlong session featured a presentation from Ken Morrell, projects manager at the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office.
If Washington County signs on to the tax freeze program, people age 65 and up with an income under $45,100 could apply. The freeze would only apply to a home and up to five acres, not a business or farm on the same land.
Morrell gave the example, “I’ve got my principal residence and I’ve got an auto repair shop on the same property. It’s the part that goes with the principal residence.”
READ MORE | Tennessee Comptroller’s Office Tax Freeze Program
Twenty-seven counties and 36 cities in Tennessee are already part of the program.
Tax payments would only go up if the owner makes improvements to their home. Tax rate hikes and reassessments would have no impact.
The downside, Morrell said, is everyone else could end up paying more.
“You can obviously see a scenario where you have to add a little bit more to the rate to make up the difference the tax freeze people are not paying,” he said.
Mayor Joe Grandy said after the meeting, it was more complicated than he expected, but he believes it’s doable.
“I think people are saying, ‘Look, if these taxes go up much more, I may lose my home.’ So I think it’s really important for those folks in Washington County to be protected,” Grandy said.
However, there was no vote at the workshop, and commission chair Greg Matherly said any proposal would need to start in a committee.
That leaves some residents questioning whether commissioners are serious about taking action.
“I think it’s because the election is coming up in August and people are watching what’s being done in the county offices, and they want some help. It’s one thing to say it, but it’s another thing to do it,” resident Karen Nelson said.
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