Nico Iamaleava pens heartwarming note to ex-Tennessee teammate Bru McCoy

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava still shares a strong bond with teammates from his former team, the Tennessee Volunteers. On Monday, penned a heartwarming message for ex-Vols wide receiver Bru McCoy on his special day.

In the Instagram story, Iamaleava shared a photo of himself posing with McCoy and Dont'e Thornton Jr. The trio could be seen smoking a cigar in the locker room while posing for the camera. Iamaleava accompanied the photo with a caption wishing McCoy on his birthday.

"happy birthday to my brother @brumccoy one of the realest I know," Iamaleava wrote.

Nico Iamaleava's IG story/@nico_iamaleava8

Bru McCoy joined the Vols in 2022 after spending three seasons with the USC Trojans. In three years, McCoy played in 35 total games for the Vols and recorded 1,356 yards and seven touchdowns receiving. In May, he announced his retirement from football due to medical reasons.

On the other hand, Nico Iamaleava had a dramatic exit from the Vols. The quarterback spent his freshman campaign as a backup to Joe Milton in 2023. Last season, Iamaleava took over as the QB1 and led the team to the 12-team college football playoffs.

In April, Iamaleava demanded a restructuring of his NIL deal with the Vols as he wanted to be paid more. However, the team did not agree with his demands. After Josh Heupel announced their decision to part ways with him, Iamaleava joined the UCLA Bruins for this upcoming season.

Following his exit, the Vols brought in Joey Aguilar from Appalachian State. He was initially expecting to join the Bruins but ended up with Josh Heupel's team following the drama.

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Joel Klatt expressed dismay with Josh Heupel and the Vols' handling of Nico Iamaleava's situation

Earlier this month, CFB analyst Joel Klatt called out Josh Heupel and the Vols for the way they handled Iamaleava's exit. He claimed that there was more to the story than fans know about Iamaleava's exit.

"... I got to tell ya, didn't love the whole Nico Iamaleava saga," Klatt said. "Where do we sit Tennessee fans with Josh Heupel?... It does not help that they lost their quarterback. I'm sorry, but there's just more to the story than the Tennessee faithful wanna throw out there. They ran out there and ran Nico Iamaleava unde the bus."

Last season, the Bruins failed to become bowl-eligible under first-year head coach DeShaun Foster. They finished with a 5-6 record with Ethan Garbers as their QB1. Only time will tell if the addition of Iamaleava helps the Bruins become a playoff contender this year.