Nico Iamaleava's Top CFB Transfer Portal Landing Spots Amid Rumored Tennessee Exit

The NIL free-for-all in college football could make the spring transfer window very intriguing with the surprise addition of Nico Iamaleava to the mix.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Saturday that Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel informed the team they were "moving on" from Iamaleava after he skipped Friday's spring practice amid an NIL contract dispute with the program.

Per ESPN's Chris Low, Iamaleava informed Volunteers offensive coordinator Joey Halzle on Friday night that he submitted his paperwork to enter the transfer portal.

A 5-star recruit in the 2023 class, Iamaleava was coming off his first season as the starting quarterback in Tennessee. He threw for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions in 13 games.

There figure to be several teams interested in a quarterback with Iamaleava's pedigree, but he almost certainly won't be staying in the SEC. Conference rules state a player transferring from one SEC program to another must be on a roster by Feb. 1, otherwise they are required to sit out for a year.

With that in mind, here are the teams that could make a play to bring in Iamaleava as their starting quarterback in 2025.

As soon as it was announced Iamaleava was entering the transfer portal, UCLA immediately jumped out as a landing spot.

There are connections to his family, as his younger brother, Madden Iamaleava, initially committed to the Bruins in May 2024. He did end up backing out of his commitment late last year by flipping to Arkansas.

Nico also has a connection UCLA's front office from his high school days. Stacey Ford, who was hired as the program's director of player personnel in March 2024, previously worked as an assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Warren High School when Iamaleava played for the program for two seasons from 2020 to '21.

Iamaleava is also from the Los Angeles area in Long Beach, California.

One potential issue for the UCLA in attracting Iamaleava is money. The athletic department is reportedly having financial issues that required a $30 million gift from the university in January.

The source of strife between Iamaleava and Tennessee was his original NIL deal and desire for a new contract.

One program that could have interest in Iamaleava and won't have to worry about any significant financial issues is Oregon.

While specifics of the Ducks' NIL money are unknown, Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen claimed in June 2024 they were operating with a $23 million annual budget.

Oregon does have powerful donors with deep pockets, led by Nike co-founder Phil Knight. During the early signing period in December, Knight was credited with helping the program land top cornerback recruit Na'eem Offord.

A potential issue for Iamaleava is trying to appeal to Oregon. Thamel noted Iamaleava's camp previously reached out to the Ducks before the start of spring practices, but they told them they weren't interested.

Even with the loss of Dillon Gabriel, the Ducks still look strong at quarterback. Dante Moore, who was part of the same transfer class with Gabriel in December 2023, is set to take over as the starter.

A 5-star recruit and No. 3 quarterback prospect in the 2023 class, Moore earned very high marks from some of his Oregon teammates last season. He only threw eight passes in five games during the 2024 campaign.

If we are including UCLA because of its proximity to where Iamaleava grew up, it would be hard to avoid mentioning USC.

The Trojans were quickly identified as a potential landing spot, but it doesn't seem like something they are considering. Adam Gorney of Rivals and Yahoo Sports reported they are not in the market for Iamaleava.

USC is set to enter 2025 with Jayden Maiava as its starter. He began 2024 as the backup to Miller Moss before taking over for the final four games due to Moss' struggles.

Maiava showed some promise down the stretch with 1,135 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. The Trojans went 3-1 with him as their starter.

There's a strong infrastructure in place for a still-developing quarterback like Iamaleava to build on if USC decides to get in the market for him. Head coach Lincoln Riley has worked with three Heisman winners since 2017 (Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Caleb Williams).

USC also has very promising recruiting classes coming in 2025 and 2026, with the '26 class led by 5-star athlete Xavier Griffin.

One potential drawback for Iamaleava is the Trojans' 2025 freshman group includes 5-star quarterback Husan Longstreet and he could be groomed to become the starter next year.

Riley could look to attach himself to a former top quarterback recruit like Iamaleava for the upcoming season because of how things have gone for USC recently.

Since the 2022 season when the Trojans went 11-3, they have won just 15 games in the past two years combined. Their seven wins in 2024 were their fewest in a season since Riley took over as head coach.

This one comes down to how aggressive Bill Belichick wants to be in his first season at North Carolina.

The Tar Heels have landed three new quarterbacks between their recruiting class and the transfer portal, led by 4-star prospect Bryce Baker.

Iamaleava was one of the highest-profile recruits in the 2023 class—Arch Manning was the only quarterback ranked ahead of him—and would give Belichick a quarterback with starting experience who could immediately step in as a starter and raise the floor for North Carolina's offense.

When North Carolina was pursuing Belichick as its head coach, USA Today's Matt Hayes reported the program was increasing its NIL budget for football from $4 million to $20 million.

Belichick was characteristically vague when asked this week about the possibility of looking at quarterbacks in the transfer portal.

"Right now we're focused on players that are here," Belichick told reporters on Wednesday. "And then whatever happens with the players coming in and portal players, we'll deal with all that later."

The timing could line up well for North Carolina to make a splash. Saturday marks the final day of spring practices for the program, with the transfer window opening on April 16.

If Belichick isn't particularly enthused by what the quarterbacks currently on North Carolina's roster, he could look to make a play for Iamaleava in what could be a wide open ACC next season.