As Tennessee wraps its spring practice slate, the Volunteers and starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava are gridlocked in contract negotiations. The talks have escalated to the point that Iamaleava did not attend Tennessee's practice Friday ahead of its Orange & White spring game on Saturday,

CBS Sports' Chris Hummer, Brandon Huffman and John Talty reported there have been rumors over the past week that Iamaleava could be interested in exploring the transfer portal, but one person at Tennessee "expressed little concern" about the program's standing with the 20-year-old.

The University of Tennessee football team and starting QB Nico Iamaleava are at a bit of an impasse. After rumblings of a rift between the Volunteers’ starter and the team began a few months ago, the first public shot has been fired,