Nico Iamaleava may shock college football fans with most likely landing spots as he leaves Tennessee Vols for the Transfer Portal
Nico Iamaleava is on his way out of Tennessee according to Pete Thamel of ESPN (among other sources). News surfaced late this week that the Vols were stuck in contract negotiations with Iamaleava, followed by a subsequent spring practice absence that emerged on Friday. That was apparently enough (or perhaps the final straw) for Josh […]
Nico Iamaleava is on his way out of Tennessee according to Pete Thamel of ESPN (among other sources). News surfaced late this week that the Vols were stuck in contract negotiations with Iamaleava, followed by a subsequent spring practice absence that emerged on Friday. That was apparently enough (or perhaps the final straw) for Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols as they will now be moving on from the former five star phenom quarterback.
Based on the latest sourcing and expectations here at A to Z Sports the most likely landing spots may shock the college football world. But where could he actually land?
There are more than just five potential landing spots for a quarterback of Nico Iamaleava's talent level, but there are not many schools who could likely afford to match a Tennessee Vols offer out there. A to Z Sports has received sourced intel on a handful of potential landing spots, while others require a bit more projection, but could certainly make a lot of sense.
Let's dive in, as we countdown the five most likely landing spots for Nico Iamaleava as he plans to enter Transfer Portal following failed contract negotiations with the Vols.
5. UCLA Bruins
This shouldn't surprise anyone, but sources tell A to Z Sports that the UCLA Bruins are indeed interested in Nico Iamaleava. However, there might be a few problems with this actually working out.
The offensive line play for UCLA was much worse than even Tennessee's struggling unit last year. Iamaleava's camp likely won't like that at all. Yes, the Bruins brought in four transfers to help remedy that issue, but the program is still largely rebuilding, despite a somewhat surprising 5-7 record last fall.
The simplest yet biggest issue with this landing spot may be the price for UCLA to consider. There's a much higher cost of living in Los Angeles and it should take even more money to get Iamaleava to come play for a team that's not nearly competing at the highest levels right now.
4. USC Trojans
USC is also apparently interested in Nico's services, but just like UCLA face an uphill battle. Yes, Lincoln Riley has a strong track record of developing quarterbacks into first round picks. That's probably the strongest argument for this landing spot.
Unfortunately, the Trojans just lost their most talented offensive lineman in Jonah Monheim from a unit that was already rather terrible in pass protection throughout the 2024 college football season. The team did bring in a couple interior offensive lineman who could compete to replace Monheim, but signs don't point towards strong trench play up front on offense.
The cost could also be prohibitive for the Trojans. Yes, they likely have more cash than UCLA, but similar concerns with their ability to compete and cost of living likely loom large.
3. Oregon Ducks
This potential landing spot might really shock Oregon Ducks fans who believe in one or both of Dante Moore and Austin Novosad. However, there was at least some form of interest dating back to December. At the time, it was the Oregon Ducks side that–to keep it simple–said "no" to adding Iamaleava at the time, but if the price is right and the program has any questions about their quarterback situation coming out of spring, interest could be there.
Dan Lanning has taken back to back big-time transfer talents as his quarterback to lead the Oregon Ducks (in Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel). He's likely already planning to lean on Dante Moore as his next big transfer (from UCLA), but there's a good chance 2025 Nico Iamaleava would be an upgrade.
The money shouldn't be a problem. The offense line play should be a positive yet again, despite losing multiple talents up front. This potential landing spot, now that Nico Iamaleava is headed to the Transfer Portal, could simply come down to Dan Lanning giving it the green light.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
This particular landing spot is one where A to Z Sports does not have direct sourcing yet, but would make sense as an automatic "yes, please" from the Nico Iamaleava camp should it come available.
Ohio State's offensive line play should be a major positive again in 2025. The NIL budget is one of the most massive (if not number one overall) in the nation. They're fresh off a national championship and still return the two best players in the country (wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs).
The biggest hurdle here is that Ohio State might already be set at quarterback. Former five star Julian Sayin, veteran Lincoln Kienholz, and elite freshman recruit Tavien St. Clair are all extremely talented. Yes, Sayin hasn't quite broken free from the competition this spring, but Ohio State certainly has plenty of quarterback talent. If Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day wants to take a shot on a more experienced high upside one-year rental like Nico Iamaleava this could still happen.
Ryan Day may have a big decision on his hands for Ohio State if Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava shocks the college football world
Wild times in college football.
1. Texas Tech Red Raiders
The number one most likely landing spot for Nico Iamaleava and yet perhaps the most shocking to many college football fans now that he's in the Transfer Portal is the Texas Tech Red Raiders. There was apparently some interest before. However, Texas Tech apparently–again to keep it simple–said "no" to the idea of Nico Iamaleava, but this door is certainly reopened now.
For those unfamiliar with the Texas Tech financial situation, multiple billionaire alumni have come together to ramp up the NIL collective funding for the Red Raiders. So much so that Texas Tech actually pulled together the number one overall Transfer Portal recruiting class this cycle (according to 247Sports).
There's certainly plenty of money to be had for Nico and his camp if they want to pursue Texas Tech. The Red Raiders already had a high-volume passing attack in 2024. Now they've brought in Mack Leftwich in to take things to a whole new level at offensive coordinator. Leftwich spent the last two years leading one of the top scoring offenses in the nation (37 points per game) at Texas State, and will look to lead a quarterback-friendly offense yet again at Texas Tech.
The money is there. Top tier offensive line play is there. The high-flying offensive scheme is there. If head coach Joey McGuire wants to swing for the fences, pursuing Nico Iamaleava now that he's headed to the Transfer Portal could be the most aggressive move that he could make.
Long shot Nico Iamaleava landing spots
Colorado Buffaloes
There were rumors (and that's likely all they were) that Colorado had reached out to Nico Iamaleava's camp about constructing a deal, but A to Z Sports could not confirm any such claims with any sources whatsoever.
This would be an intriguing scheme fit for Nico's playing style and Colorado actually had quite surprisingly successful offense line play last year. However, the team already has veteran transfer Kaidon Salter and highly touted freshman Julian Lewis competing for the starting quarterback job. This could be a possibility, and would fit with Deion Sanders' high profile approach, but this looks less likely than most other options.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame was apparently reached out to back in December concerning Nico Iamaleava's fit in some capacity, but again were one of the teams that ultimately said "no". That doesn't mean interest couldn't spark now. Especially if they leave spring without a sure thing at quarterback.
Steve Angeli is the trustworthy veteran that the program may be leaning towards. Kenny Minchey is the dual threat flashing in spring. And many around the program badly want CJ Carr to develop into the starter this year too. However, if none of those three emerge as a great option for 2025, pursuing Nico Iamaleava might make sense given their resources and need for an instant-impact quarterback this fall.
Syracuse Orange
This is another potential long shot spot that A to Z Sports could not project with legitimate sourced material, but there's certainly a path.
New head coach Fran Brown led Syracuse to a 10-3 record in his first season with the team last fall. The Orange were one of the most pass-happy offenses in all of FBS as they tossed the rock 46 times per game in 2024.
Now that Kyle McCord is off to the NFL there's a huge need at the quarterback position. If the Syracuse Orange want to seriously pursue another competitive season they could go all in on Iamaleava now that he plans to enter the Transfer Portal. Why? They return almost zero quarterbacks with any meaningful college football experience. This would be perhaps the cleanest, easiest path to a starting quarterback role of any power conference program for Iamaleava.
How Nico Iamaleava and Tennessee Vols could completely reshape college football with new contract or Transfer Portal entrance
The Nico Iamaleava situation with the Tennessee Vols continues to unfold in shocking fashion. Just days before the Tennessee Vols spring game and the spring Transfer Portal opening (on April 16) it looks as though the former five star quarterback is "holding out" amid his contract negotiations. No, this is not the NFL we're talking […]
We'll be back with more Tennessee Vols coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And if you want to look back on Nico Iamaleava's highlights from last season to see why he should be such a highly coveted Transfer Portal target for so many college football teams!
