National recruiting analyst 'ranks the contenders' for 5-star QB Nico Iamaleava
2023 five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava is one of the top recruits in the nation and he's nearing a decision on where he'll play in college. The Tennessee Vols seem to be the frontrunners for Iamaleava, a 6-foot-5 California native. Iameleava took a visit to Knoxville earlier this month that went extremely well. And he's expected […]
2023 five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava is one of the top recruits in the nation and he's nearing a decision on where he'll play in college.
The Tennessee Vols seem to be the frontrunners for Iamaleava, a 6-foot-5 California native. Iameleava took a visit to Knoxville earlier this month that went extremely well. And he's expected to return to campus in April for another visit.
But while the Vols seem to be the leaders for Iamaleava, that's only our assumption. Iamaleava hasn't publicly called any program a "leader". And there are four others programs still in the mix for the talented quarterback (Alabama, Georgia, Miami, and Oregon).
Rivals.com national recruiting director Adam Gorney "ranked the contenders" for Iamaleava this week.
And he agrees that Tennessee is the team to beat in this recruiting battle, saying it would be "something of a surprise" if Iamaleava doesn't land in Knoxville.
Gorney has the Vols as the top contender for the five-star quarterback, followed by Oregon, Alabama, Georgia, and Miami.
From Rivals:
The Volunteers have jumped out to frontrunner status in Iamaleava’s recruitment and it would be something of a surprise now if he ended up elsewhere. Iamaleava took another visit to Knoxville recently and had a phenomenal time there and upon his return a lot of people around him made it seem like Tennessee was going to be the spot.
Iamaleava has talked about going someplace where he could thrive (Josh Heupel’s pass-happy offense makes sense) and where he was loved. Perhaps no fan base has embraced the five-star quarterback like at Tennessee. There are also reportedly significant NIL considerations that could play a factor here.
There's no doubt the Vols are in a good spot for the Iamaleava. But this is where Josh Heupel and his staff have to prove they can close the deal.
Recruiting is fluid. And we've seen plenty of instances of players trending toward one program, only to land elsewhere.
I don't think that's going to be the case with Iamaleava — I like the Vols' odds in this battle — but it would be unwise to prematurely put his name in the commit column for Tennessee.
Iamaleava will announce his decision in April.
Featured image via Rivals.com
