Josh Heupel on Nico Iamaleava exiting Tennessee
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel shares feelings on Nico Iamaleava’s exit from the Vols and ‘do not contact’ tag.
Sports Pulse
Hundreds of players have officially entered the transfer portal since college football’s spring window opened on Wednesday, with none more scrutinized than former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
The rising third-year sophomore may end up as one of the cautionary tales of the early NIL era after his efforts to secure an updated contract with the Volunteers by sitting out of team activities resulted in Tennessee and coach Josh Heupel quickly moving on from last year’s starter.
“There’s no one that’s bigger” than the program, Heupel said.
Iamaleava is now on the open market as the top prospect currently available in the portal. The Volunteers will focus the search for his replacement on two internal candidates but will almost certainly end up adding a transfer themselves, potentially an established Power Four starter.
Let’s break down the top players available in this spring window, which remains open through Friday:
QB Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee)
Iamaleava’s appeal is obvious. He has the experience of starting in the SEC after leading the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff as a redshirt freshman. He has the size, athleticism and arm strength to develop into one of the top passers in the Bowl Subdivision. It’s extremely rare for a quarterback of his caliber to be on the market, period, especially at this time of year. The scrutiny over his departure from Tennessee will eventually fade into the background, replaced by two more pressing concerns. One, Iamaleava put up the bulk of his production against the weakest teams on last year’s schedule and averaged only 5.1 yards per attempt against ranked competition. And two, his next…
Source link : https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2025/04/17/college-football-transfer-portal-best-player-ranking/83139217007/
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Publish date : 2025-04-17 16:28:00
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