Shockwaves of Nico Iamaleava’s shocking exit felt across Big 12 & ACC as multiple schools lock in their QBs with bold move
The Nico Iamaleava effect is already felt across college football, with schools looking to secure their starting quarterbacks for the upcoming season.
According to On3 college football insider Pete Nakos, QBs from multiple schools in the ACC and Big 12 have already received pay raises to prevent the situation that happened with Tennessee. The analyst also reported that a Big Ten school is looking to renegotiate its contract with its starting QB.
With NIL rules still having considerable grey areas, programs are trying to avoid losing their QB. As Iamaleava's exit happened in the spring transfer window, Tennessee's options are limited.
Iamaleava had a falling out with the Volunteers after asking for a pay raise. Because they weren't willing to budge, the program decided to move on from the signal caller. Iamaleava is entering the transfer portal, where he is expected to receive plenty of attention.
As for Tennessee, it only has a couple of freshmen in the QB room: Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre. Josh Heupel's program is also expected to chase a QB in the portal.
Notre Dame QB Steve Angeli, who recently announced that he will be entering the transfer portal, has ties to Tennessee, as his former high school coach Jarrett Guarantano played for the Volunteers. He is believed to be an option for Heupel and his staff.
Tennessee is coming off a 10-3 season and made it to the College Football Playoff, losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round. Iamaleava was an important part of the Vols' success, passing for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions in his freshman season. He added 358 rushing yards.
Tennessee will open the season on Aug. 30 against the Syracuse Orange in Atlanta.
Is Nico Iamaleava to UCLA a done deal?
There have been reports linking Nico Iamaleava to the UCLA Bruins, but there is no official announcement yet. FS1's Colin Cowherd was the first to report that the former Vols QB was headed to Westwood.
ESPN's Chris Low confirmed that the Bruins are in the mix, but nothing is set. A Long Beach, California native, UCLA was always believed to be in play to land Iamaleava. With other schools like North Carolina going in a different direction, the Bruns are likely in the lead to land him.
Money could be an issue, as California holds a considerably higher tax rate than Tennessee.