Tennessee is moving forward without quarterback Nico Iamaleava, and coach Josh Heupel said Saturday he had a simple message to the remaining Volunteers.

No one is bigger than the Power T, including the coach himself.

Even now in the different landscape that is college football.

“This program has been around for a long time with a lot of great coaches and a lot of great players that laid the cornerstone pieces, the legacy, the tradition that is Tennessee football,” Heupel said. “It’s going to be around a long time after I’m done and after they’re gone, and that’s what special about being here is that there is a legacy and a tradition that is so rich and a logo that’s recognized not just across the nation but around the world too.”

Heupel called losing Iamaleava an “unfortunate” situation.” He thanked Iamaleava for his work while at Tennessee. Asked about the timing without notice just before the spring game Saturday, Heupel said there’s never an easy time to lose a player. Heupel told his coaches Friday that he’s lost players at the start of training camp or during the season with adversity a chance to either bring teams together or divide them.

“If it’s going to happen, rip the Band-Aid, too,” Heupel said about losing a player. “At the end of the day, we got a lot of great work for the two guys that are here. We’ve got a chance to move forward as a program. It’s unfortunate in the landscape of college football that it happens at this point.”

Iamaleava had been practicing all spring and expected to be the starting quarterback for a second straight season. Asked when Heupel knew the Vols would not have Iamaleava moving forward, the coach said Friday morning when the quarterback was a “no show” with no communication with Heupel. The Tennessee coach refused to get into details about any discussions with Iamaleava and his representatives.

“He’s moving on, we’re moving on, too,” Heupel said. “We’ll be ready to roll when we get to next fall.”

So Iamaleava was not at Saturday’s Orange and White game and not listed on Tennessee’s roster on the website before the session started. His No. 8 gear also was not inside shops at Neyland Stadium after two days of speculation about Iamaleava’s future with Tennesssee.

Iamaleava is the quarterback whose name, image and likeness deal bringing him to Tennessee prompted an NCAA investigation and a lawsuit by the attorneys general of both Tennessee and Virginia in January 2024. The NCAA was looking at both Tennessee and The Vol Club, an NIL collective run by Spyre Sports Group over the recruitment of the five-star quarterback from Warren High in Downey and his NIL contract with Spyre.

The NCAA settled that lawsuit Jan. 31 over its rules prohibiting name, image and likeness compensation for recruits.

Iamaleava 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 after getting his first start at the 2024 Orange Bowl. The Vols ranked 77th nationally averaging 221.2 yards passing per game last season. Iamaleava played in 18 games and threw for 2,930 yards with 19 of his 21 touchdown passes and all five of his interceptions coming in 2024.

That leaves Heupel with a pair of four-star recruits in Jake Merklinger, who joined Tennessee for spring practice a year ago, and freshman George MacIntyre. Heupel has a commitment from the No. 1 overall recruit for 2026 in quarterback Faizon Brandon out of Greensboro, N.C. Merklinger appeared in two games as a freshman and is 6 of 9 for 48 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

That’s why Heupel will be looking for more experience at quarterback once the transfer portal opens Wednesday. He added Joe Milton, now backing up Dak Prescott with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, not long after being hired in 2021.

Southeastern Conference rules prohibit players from transferring inside the league during the spring portal window, limiting options for both Tennessee and Iamaleava.

“We’re going to have to find another guy,” Heupel said.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Florida coach Todd Golden already has a spot picked out for the Final Four net he cut down in San Antonio. On Saturday, though, it felt right at home around his neck.

Golden and the Gators were revered in another national championship celebration, this one in front of nearly 60,000 fans at Florida Field during an extended halftime of the annual football spring game. The hoops team has one more get-together on tap: at the White House, presumably this summer.

“It’s just absurd,” Golden said. “Today was awesome. … Our guys, especially our older guys, are going to be moving on to go train for the draft. You don’t know if they’re going to be around.

“To be able to put something like this together on kind of short notice and do a great job honoring our players in front of our fans, which to me is the most important thing. People that have been supporting us really all year got to see these guys together again one last time. It was special.”

Golden wore the remnants of one of the nets from the Alamodome; center Micah Handlogten wore the other. Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard carried trophies into the Swamp.

Highlights from Florida’s six NCAA Tournament victories flashed on the stadium replay boards as players and coaches were introduced one by one. Clayton, named most outstanding player of the Final Four, and Golden — hardly surprisingly — received the loudest ovations.

Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward presented Golden with a key to the city “so you’ll always know where home is.”

Golden might not be going anywhere anytime soon. The coach said he and athletic director Scott Stricklin are close to a contract extension. Four of the past five national championship-winning coaches at Florida — J.C. Deacon (men’s golf), Mike Holloway (track and field), Kevin O’Sullivan (baseball) and Tim Walton (softball) — signed 10-year deals in the wake of their titles. Could Golden be next?

“My family and I love being here,” said Golden, who made $3.6 million this season and ranks 12th in the Southeastern Conference in annual salary. “In three short years, we’ve been able to meet a lot of great people and get comfortable. Florida’s a place that we can win national championships, as we just proved. Yeah, we love being here.”

TENNIS

Elina Svitolina sent Ukraine to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals for the first time with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann to level the countries’ qualifier 1-1 in Radom, Poland.

It ensured Ukraine tops Group E to qualify for the tournament in Shenzhen in September. Switzerland needed a flawless record against Ukraine to progress. Ukraine went on to win 2-1.

Spain also secured its place in the finals after Jessica Bouzas Maneiro beat Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-2 for an unassailable 2-0 lead in their meeting.

Bernarda Pera defeated Denmark’s Johanne Svendsen to give the United States a 2-0 lead in Group C. The U.S. next faces host nation Slovakia today with the winner going through to the finals.

Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima saved two match points before beating Romania’s Anca Todoni 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2 to win their match in Group A. It set up a decider against Canada today to determine which team qualifies for the finals.

HOCKEY

Finland came from a goal down to rebound from two opening losses at the women’s ice hockey world championship with a 4-2 win over host Czech Republic.

Ronja Savolainen had a goal and an assist, and Elli Suoranta, Julia Schalin and Elisa Holopainen also scored for Finland, last year’s bronze medalist.

The Finns and the Czechs both have three points in Group A, three behind Canada and the United States, which face each other today.

Also, Germany beat Norway 5-2 for its first win.Germany rebounded from a 5-2 loss to Sweden in Group B. Norway has lost its first two games after returning to the top-tier tournament following a 27-year absence.

The teams are divided into two groups for the preliminary round. All five teams from Group A and the top three from Group B qualify for the playoffs. The bottom two from Group B, which also features Japan and Hungary, are relegated.