Why Nico Iamaleava would be wise to stay with Tennessee, eschew transfer portal amid reported contract talks

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava and the Volunteers are in “active” contract negotiations, according to On3, with Tennessee’s “Orange & White” spring game and the spring transfer portal window just days away. The timing suggests Iamaleava’s camp is trying to force Tennessee’s hand, but there’s a strong chance that the matter gets resolved quickly without Iamaleava testing the portal. 

The latest report does at least cast a shred of doubt on his future in Knoxville, but regardless of how the negotiations play out, leaving would be a bad move for Iamaleava. 

While the timing of it all puts some pressure on Tennessee, it also places Iamaleava behind the 8-ball. There’s no doubt that, were he to hit the portal, plenty of suitors would be willing to take a swing on his pedigree, but the market might not be as big as one would expect. Though prominent programs with significant NIL war chests like Oregon and Ohio State are embroiled in their own quarterback competitions, neither showed any interest in a quarterback during the more robust winter window. There’s a chance that they could move for a player of Iamaleava’s caliber, but it seems that those staffs, and staffs at places like Alabama and Notre Dame, are satisfied with the options that they have in house. 

A whopping 42 of 68 Power Four programs already took a quarterback in the winter transfer window. While some of those were depth moves, schools desperate for a new signal-caller have already loaded up. 

Perhaps somewhere like USC would make sense. Iamaleava is a product of Downey, California’s Warren High School. and plenty of his family still reside on the West Coast. Plus, the Trojans do have something of a quarterback vacancy after Miller Moss transferred to Louisville. 

Even if Iamaleava were to end up at a major program like USC, he would have plenty of catching up to do over the next few months. Tennessee’s system is quite different than a lot of the pro-style schemes that other colleges try to emulate, so Iamaleava would have to spend the summer learning some fundamentals after missing out on the crucial spring period with his new team. He would also have to balance installing a new playbook while developing his game during fall camp. While that’s a tall task for any quarterback, regardless of experience, Iamaleava only has what equates to one year of starting experience under his belt. 

It’s clear that his game still needs plenty of refinement. He has all the tools to be a truly special player, as evidenced by his blue-chip status, but Iamaleava’s first year leading Tennessee’s offense left plenty to be desired. He had just 19 touchdowns passing — the lowest total by a starting quarterback since Josh Heupel took over at Tennessee — and failed to reach 250 yards through the air in 10 out of 13 games. There’s tremendous growth potential with Iamaleava, but he’s still far from a finished product. 

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There are plenty of places capable of developing Iamaleava, but he’s already got a good situation at Tennessee. Each of Heupel’s last two starting quarterbacks (Hendon Hooker, Joe Milton) have made it to the NFL and are firmly entrenched with their respective teams. 

Heupel also runs a quarterback-friendly offense that limits the amount of reads while scheming easy throws to wide receivers on screens and other underneath routes. That work close to the line of scrimmage opens up a fair amount of deep shots, as well, allowing Iamaleava the chance to display his excellent arm talent on a consistent basis. 

He’s already steeped in Tennessee’s scheme and terminology. There’s no “install period” that needs to take place, allowing him to focus entirely on development and improvement leading up to the 2025 season. 

Whether or not Iamaleava is receiving fair financial compensation is an entirely different and almost impossible discussion, given that updated NIL figures often aren’t publicized. But one thing is for certain: leaving Tennessee would be bad business.