Nico Iamaleava decided to leave Josh Heupel’s Tennessee program after the school opted not to boost his NIL deal. The former five-star quarterback had guided the Vols to a 10-3 finish in 2024, and his exit sparked concerns about Tennessee’s ability to contend for a playoff spot in the 2025 season.On ESPN’s “College GameDay,” host Rece Davis shared two key takeaways from the situation. He said:"I think we learn that the ACC is deeper than we thought. Tennessee is not as desperate and dire at quarterback as we thought.”Davis’ remarks followed Heupel’s seemingly indifferent response to Iamaleava’s transfer to UCLA.“It’s never about who is not in your building," Heupel said when asked about Iamaleava's leave. "It’s about who is in your building."Nico Iamaleava was the nation’s No. 1-ranked transfer player this offseason, according to 247 Sports. He will now face the challenge of leading a UCLA program with a comparatively less talented offensive unit.Nico Iamaleava's former teammate delivers a bold statement following his departure Nico Iamaleava’s sudden departure caught many by surprise, but like Josh Heupel, the Vols players are staying grounded. Last week, Tennessee tight end Miles Kitselman spoke on 3HL during SEC Media Days about Iamaleava’s exit and how the current quarterback group is stepping up."I would say being vocal. I think that that's probably the biggest thing we were missing last year," he said. "You come off and drive go three and out go three and out again. And it's like and where's the voice on this team and it should have been me. (Now) these quarterbacks aren’t afraid to rip into it.”In a separate ESPN interview on Tuesday, Kitselman showed confidence in the school's ability to move forward without Iamaleava."Let's go make a play right now, and I think that totally translates over to life and translates over to that situation,"he added. "It was like, 'OK, he's gone. It is what it is. Let's plug and replace. Who are we going to bring in?'"Tennessee is set to start the 2025 season on Aug. 30 against Syracuse.