Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava has received a lot of attention in recent days for his complicated situation with the Volunteers. Reports came out from college football insider Pete Nakos on Thursday that he was negotiating a new NIL contact with the program.
Another report came out on Saturday from Nakos that Iamaleava skipped practice on Friday and intended to enter the spring transfer portal. The move was shocking as it puts Iamaleava and Tennessee in an awkward situation. Iamaleava needs to find a new team in the spring window, which is typically harder than the winter window, and the Volunteers will need to replace their QB with a limited pool of players.
On Friday, before the news came out that Iamaleava entered the transfer portal, a fan posted a morphed image of his face on a character from a movie holding prison “walking papers.” These are the papers a prisoner needs when they are about to be released from their sentence. It referenced Iamaleava getting his paperwork to leave the Volunteers.
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On Saturday, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin reacted to the image, posting a person facepalming emoji.
Nico Iamaleava is in a unique situation for a star QB in the transfer portal
The spring transfer window is not the time most star players choose to transfer as the winter window allows players to fully participate in spring practice. Additionally, there are fewer restrictions in the winter window compared to the spring window.
SEC rules prohibit players from transferring to another school in the conference during the spring window if they want to maintain their eligibility for the following campaign. If Nico Iamaleava were to transfer to another SEC team, he would not be eligible to play next season.
Iamaleava will need to transfer to a team outside of the SEC if he wants to play in 2025. For Iamaleava, sitting out next season is not an ideal option. He already redshirted his true freshman campaign, and sitting out in 2025 would mean not playing in two of his first three college seasons.
Iamaleava will likely look at schools in the Big Ten, ACC and Big 12. Alternatively, he has the option to return to Tennessee.
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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez
