Quarterback Nico Iamaleava was not at Tennessee’s Orange and White game Saturday and is no longer on the roster.

It appears Iamaleava is headed toward the transfer portal that opens Wednesday, as coach Josh Heupel had a short answer before the spring game about the past 48 hours.

“It’s the state of college football,” Heupel told the Vol Network. “At the end of the day, no one’s ever bigger than the program. That includes me too. And we got an opportunity. We got a bunch of guys that are going to give their all for Tennessee and we move forward, got a great group.”

Iamaleava spent spring practice as the quarterback expected to start for a second straight season. He helped Tennessee go 10-3 last season and earn a berth in the newly expanded College Football Playoff. According to reports, he was looking for a big hike in his NIL compensation and was not at practice Friday.

Not only was Iamaleava no longer listed on the Tennessee website or roster, gear with his No. 8 was not seen in shops at Neyland Stadium.

Auto racing: Oscar Piastri took pole in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday as his McLaren teammate and standings leader Lando Norris could only manage sixth.

NHL: Bobby Brink scored the only goal of the shootout, beating Marcus Hogberg to the glove side on the fifth try to lead the Flyers to a 3-2 victory over the Islanders on Saturday. The loss eliminated the Islanders from the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Soccer: Kevin De Bruyne sparked Manchester City’s remarkable fightback in a 5-2 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League that re-ignited his team’s Champions League qualification hopes.

Tennis: Carlos Alcaraz battled past Spanish compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (2), 6-4 on Saturday to book his place in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters.