College football is nothing short of dramatic. Even in the offseason of sorts for college football, the rumor mill is still churning. The latest name circulating: Nico Iamaleava.
Iamaleava is reportedly in an NIL contract negotiation stalemate with Tennessee and could dart for the spring transfer portal. With that, clearly comes speculation of where Iamaleava is going to land.
There’s still some teams out there that could use an SEC quarterback under center for the 2025 season. The transfer portal drama never ends in college football. Iamaleava looks to add his name to the long list of players that have landed in the transfer portal over NIL disputes.
With his recent holdouts, which includes missing practice, things are moving toward him hitting the portal. If he does, here’s where he could end up.
5 teams that would jump at the chance to get Nico Iamaleava if he leaves Tennessee for the transfer portal
5) Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia could be in the market for a quarterback. Jaden Rashada is dangling in the portal and hasn’t committed one way or the other yet and with Carson Beck gone to Miami, Kirby Smart might be interested in making a big splash.
Gunnar Stockton wasn’t overly impressive in his first few starts with Georgia, which is why Smart might get aggressive if a player of Iamaleava’s caliber becomes available. I’m not sure if Georgia will want to match Iamaleava’s NIL demands though, if Tennessee can’t.
Iamaleava isn’t a superior prospect, more in name than anything. He threw 19 touchdowns this season, but 10 of those were against Vanderbilt, Chattanooga and UTEP. Outside of those three games, he had just two games the rest of the season with multiple touchdown passes.
Georgia needs a quarterback that will elevate this offense, at best Iamaleava would be a lateral move from Beck. That said, he’s a big name that with Georgia’s defense, he could get away with not having to be elite.
The thing is, Iamaleava would not be eligible to play until 2026 if he joined a conference foe. But, potentially that could change if he challenges through court.
4) Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Iamaleava was recruited by Marcus Freeman coming out of high school. After Riley Leonard led Notre Dame to the national championship, a vacancy opened up under center. This would be, like Georgia, a move to bring in a big name.
The Fighting Irish aren’t pinching pennies, so they can afford him, but it’s still a mystery if this would be a good fit. The Irish have opted for more polished quarterbacks out of the transfer portal in Sam Hartman from Wake Forest and Leonard from Duke.
Freeman has been quiet so far about addressing his quarterback position via the portal so he probably likes what he sees from the current bunch. But it’s something to monitor nonetheless.
3) Alabama Crimson Tide
Kalen DeBoer has work to do to get back in the good graces of Crimson Tide fans. In his first year at Alabama, he led the Tide to a 9-4 season, loss in the ReliaQuest Bowl to Michigan and came up short of the College Football Playoff.
One of DeBoer’s losses in his first season was to Tennessee and he may have liked what he saw from Iamaleava in that game. Though Iamaleava wasn’t particularly stellar, he did throw for a touchdown with 194 passing yards and had 44 rushing yards.
Alabama has a bit of a logjam at the quarterback position, but they're all players that haven’t had the chance to play yet. Much like Georgia, this feels like a move to bring in a big name and hope it works out.
Iamaleava wouldn’t be a bad fit with DeBoer. He made Jalen Milroe serviceable, who was inconsistent throughout the year, but also turned Michael Penix Jr. into a top 10 pick in the NFL Draft. That could be intriguing for both sides.
Again, Iamaleava would have to fight for 2025 eligibility through court if he were to join any SEC school.
2) UCLA Bruins
Iamaleava is from Long Beach, Ca., so returning closer to home is an obvious factor in this one. But more than that, UCLA has a starting quarterback vacancy and returning home as a bonus could be enough to make this a reality.
The Bruins play in the Big Ten and need as much star power as they can get. Iamaleava would go a long way to notching that for them. They have a second year coach in DeShaun Foster. It would be a solid situation to go into for him. He would play against the best players in college football while getting closer to home and becoming the hometown hero.
Though UCLA did pick up Joey Aguilar from Appalachian State in the transfer portal, they won’t hesitate to get a former five-star prospect to play instead.
1) USC Trojans
If Iamaleava does leave the Vols and officially declares for the transfer portal, USC seems like the most ideal landing spot. He’s from Long Beach, but more than that, it’s a mutually beneficial move.
Lincoln Riley is on the hot seat and hasn’t produced an elite starting quarterback since Caleb Williams. And had Williams not followed Riley to southern California, Riley’s tenure would look even worse than it does.
Right now, they have Jayden Maiava who took over for Miller Moss toward the end of the season and looked decent. That said, Riley can’t pass up on this perfect opportunity. He needs another quarterback he can mold into an NFL prospect.
Iamaleava needs a coach that knows how to work with quarterbacks. This is the perfect scenario for both sides. Expect USC to be atop Iamaleava’s list if he officially enters the transfer portal.