When is Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava eligible for the NFL Draft?

Once of the biggest reasons why I was so high on the Tennessee Volunteers this season was the ascending star they have at quarterback. We know that Josh Heupel can coach, but he has not had a player under center quite like Nico Iamaleava before. Yes, his offense is a bit rudimentary, but Iamaleava has a great chance to be Tennessee's first Heisman Trophy winner ever. He is that special!

So as you get ready to get ready for the biggest game of the Week 4 college football slate, the one featuring Heupel going up against his alma mater of Oklahoma in Norman, we need to ask ourselves this one question: Is Iamaleava draft-eligible? When is the absolute soonest he could leave the college game behind for the bright lights of the NFL? Thankfully, he is only a redshirt freshman.

Iamaleava was a blue-chip prospect coming out of high school in the Class of 2023. He committed to Tennessee out of his native Southern California amid some controversy. Most people believe him to be the player that The Athletic wrote about getting several million dollars in NIL money to go play at his school. Last year, he mostly backed up Joe Milton III, but did shine at times as a true freshman.

Simply put, Iamaleava is not draft-eligible until 2026 at the earliest. He can play at UTK through 2027.

When is Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava eligible to enter an NFL Draft?

Truth be told, we have only seen Iamaleava start, what, four games over the course of two seasons? He has not even started a conference game yet. I love the talent and the undeniable upside, but let's allow him to enjoy his college career and get better in the process. Overall, I like his chances of being a 2026 first-round pick. If he plays like I know he can, he will be my preseason Heisman pick in 2025.

When evaluating Iamaleava's game, you have to do so from the perspective of arm talent alone. For as much fun as Heupel's offense is to watch, we have seen time and again one player after another of his struggle to make an impact at the next level. The wide receivers don't know how to run routes and other things of that nature. That does not change the fact that I think Iamaleava could be so special.

The great news is he is only in his second of three required years removed from high school in order to be draft-eligible. He needs to bank more starts, build up his body and develop some sort of command at the line of scrimmage. Again, I love the upside, but I wonder if he will be ready to lead an NFL team out of the tunnel right away in Week 1 in 2026. I want to see this quarterback get better.

Before we put Iamaleava on an NFL team, bruh, let's just see how his college career shakes out first.