Nico Iamaleava was not going to leave the Tennessee Volunteers without knowing he had other suitors outside of Knoxville. While I tabbed the Oregon Ducks as his likeliest destination, based on who he was tied to out of high school, I also have been keeping a close watch on a few other programs. The one shot-in-the-dark team I kept doing back to was the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Since Bill Belichick took over the UNC football program, he has reignited a passion on the gridiron I have not seen in Chapel Hill in a few years. With Michael Lombardi serving as his team's general manager, I had a feeling North Carolina would be approaching its rebuilding process under Belichick a bit more like one we would see in the NFL. Are we the least bit shocked Iamaleava has been tied here?
The first crystal ball prediction from 247Sports has Iamaleava going to North Carolina. This was made on Monday morning by Florida State recruiting insider Brendon Sonnone of Noles 247. One by one, teams who we thought would be in on Iamaleava have echoed sentiments that they are not. This would include the likes of Notre Dame, Texas Tech and USC, leading us to believe it could be UNC...
If Belichick were to land Iamaleava, that would potentially elevate UNC to a fringe ACC title contender.
UNC football is the first crystal ball to land Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava
With Belichick taking over in Chapel Hill firmly into his 70s, he seems to be content with never coaching in the NFL again. I always thought that when he took the job and convinced long-time athletic director Bubba Cunningham he was the right man to lead the Tar Heels that this would be a three-to-five-year run for him at UNC, or at least until his son Stephen Belichick is ready to take over.
What you have to remember is North Carolina is not only the alma mater of Michael Jordan, but UNC football's greatest player ever just so happens to be Belichick's favorite player he has ever coached: Former New York Giants legendary edge rusher Lawrence Taylor. Not in my lifetime has UNC football ever had this type of galvanizing unifier at the head of the program. Will Iamaleava buy into all this?
That remains to be seen. The only thing I can say with conviction is Belichick needs to have great quarterback play to get the most out of his coaching talent. Pretty much everything he accomplished in the NFL as the iconic former head coach of the New England Patriots coincided with Tom Brady's dynastic run over the sports for two decades. Belichick may hope Iamaleava is his new Cam Newton.
Iamaleava may commit elsewhere, but North Carolina has the money and now the cachet to land him.