Josh Heupel identifies two players by name as potential new leaders of the Tennessee Vols in the wake of Nico Iamaleava’s departure

The Tennessee Vols were thrown a curveball this week with the NIL public controversy and subsequent departure of starting QB Nico Iamaleava on the eve of the culmination of the program’s spring practice.

Anytime a starting quarterback leaves, questions are going to arise about what that means for the leadership of that program, and Josh Heupel addressed just that after the Orange and White game, mentioning two players by name who could help fill that role.

Josh Heupel mentioned TE Miles Kitselman and OT Lance Heard as potential leaders on offense moving forward.

“Some of those guys have been gone for four months now. I think leadership is something that we’re continuing to grow on that side of the football,” Heupel said. “Miles Kitselman, really mature, great command, great presence, ability to demand things of the guys around him. Is someone that is very strong. Up front, Lance Heard is developing some of that.

“But that’s my job with the leadership council, our young shadow warriors, to continue to grow those guys throughout the rest of the season. In general, we’re probably stronger, more mature on the defensive side of the ball. But we’ve got to continue to grow that on the offensive side of the ball here, and we’ll continue to do that the next four weeks before we get out and when we get back in the summer.”

It’s an interesting pair of players in that both came in via transfer last year.  Kitselman came to Knoxville from Alabama after spending one year in community college and two years with the Crimson Tide.  Heard came over in January after spending his first year at LSU.

Kitselman, who missed the Orange and White game with a pectoral injury, certainly looked and sounded the part of a leader after the game on Saturday. He spoke up in support of the players in the building, saying “there’s no one else I’d rather go to war with. And just letting these guys know, man, we’re good with whoever we got back there at quarterback.”

Leadership can come from a number of places and in a number of different ways.  It can come from players who aren’t starters, such as Dylan Sampson back in 2023.  It can come through play rather than words.  And Tennessee certainly seems like they’re circling the wagons in support of each other with Iamaleava’s departure.

We’ll see in the coming months who steps into the shoes of the team’s leadership role in a more defined manner, but for now, it seems like a pair of starters have Heupel’s eyes as the likely candidates, at least on the offense side of the ball, to carry the banner for the Big Orange this year.