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
Bowl Subdivision rosters are rounding into form with the conclusion of the springtime transfer window, a period defined by Nico Iamaleava’s abrupt departure from Tennessee.
If the biggest story of the spring, Iamaleava’s transfer to UCLA was just one of several set to shake up the race for the College Football Playoff. Others include new Penn State receiver Trebor Pena and the Volunteers adding of quarterback Joey Aguilar after his brief stint with the Bruins.
In contrast to the feeding frenzy that is the winter portal window, the spring period is more about plugging specific roster spots that have developed heading into or coming out of offseason workouts.
One good example is the work done this past month by Oklahoma, which brought in one splash target in California running back Jadyn Ott, two potential depth pieces in McNeese State receiver Jer’Michael Carter and Stanford offensive lineman Jake Maikkula, a developmental defender in Utah State defensive lineman Ricky Lolohea and a possible new starting kicker in Texas-San Antonio transfer Tate Sandell.
While the transfer window has closed, players will continue to join new programs over the next few weeks. Led by UCLA, Tennessee and Penn State, these are the biggest winners and losers from the spring portal:
Winners
UCLA
The drama and controversy over Iamaleava’s exit from Tennessee has overshadowed the impact his arrival will have on UCLA. After coming up one win shy of bowl eligibility in coach DeShaun Foster’s debut, the Bruins’ addition of Iamaleava pushes them into the second tier of Big Ten teams fighting for seven or more wins during the regular season. While not a finished product after…
Source link : https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2025/05/07/college-football-transfer-portal-winners-losers/83371159007/
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Publish date : 2025-05-07 10:05:00
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