Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava could be on the move again this offseason thanks to the uncertainty surrounding the UCLA football program.

Iamaleava transferred from Tennessee to UCLA near the end of spring practice.

The former Tennessee quarterback told reporters in July that his goal was to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft after one season with the Bruins.

However, things haven’t gone smoothly for Iamaleava so far at UCLA. The Bruins fired head coach DeShaun Foster this week after UCLA got off to a 0-3 start. The program seems to be in complete disarray, which certainly hasn’t helped Iamaleava’s NFL draft stock.

At this point, it seems likely that Iamaleava will transfer again this offseason to put himself in a better position to boost his draft stock.

One of Tennessee’s main SEC rivals named as a potential transfer destination for Nico Iamaleava

Iamaleava hasn’t entered the transfer portal yet, so it’s not official that he’ll be on the move this offseason, but I’d be surprised if he played for the Bruins in 2026.

That seems to be how most folks feel about Iamaleava, including Sports Illustrated’s Matt De Lima, who named several transfer options for the former Tennessee quarterback this week.

De Lima named the Vanderbilt Commodores, the Vols’ top in-state rival, as a potential landing spot for Iamaleava.

“The wild-card option is Vanderbilt, where Diego Pavia has quickly become a fan favorite,” wrote De Lima. “Pavia will not be in Nashville forever, and when he moves on, the Commodores could pivot to Iamaleava as his heir….If the goal is to show NFL evaluators that he can endure adversity and lead an SEC team, Vanderbilt is an underrated landing spot. The path would be difficult, but for Iamaleava, so far every step of the journey has been.”

Landing at Vanderbilt would mean that Iamaleava would have to face his old friends from Knoxville next fall. The good news for Iamaleava, though, is that Vanderbilt and Tennessee will likely play in Nashville next season. The SEC is moving to a nine-game schedule next season, but Vanderbilt is expected to be one of Tennessee’s three permanent opponents. The Commodores visit Knoxville this season, which sets up next season’s matchup to be played in Nashville.

It’s possible that Iamaleava could declare for the 2026 NFL Draft. But since he’s not considered a top NFL draft prospect, the California native would be wise to stick around in college for one more season to make himself more attractive to NFL teams.

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