Nico Iamaleava transfer rules: Why Tennessee QB won’t be able to join certain schools

Tennessee is reportedly moving on from Nico Iamaleava, meaning the former 5-star quarterback is likely bound for the transfer portal when things open next week.

In the span of what feels like hours, Josh Heupel and the Vols went from entering the 2025 season with an incumbent starter to looking for a new face under center. It also means Iamaleava will be looking for a new home in time for the fall with plans to leave Tennessee.

So, where will Iamaleava look in the transfer portal? It’s currently unclear, though some rules in place can whittle down the list of potential destinations involved.

First off, the assumption here is likely that Iamaleava wants a place he can plug and play as a starter for the 2025 season. If there is an NIL offer on the table above what he was set to receive from Tennessee this fall, no program would offer that for a player to sit for a year.

If that is indeed the case for Iamaleava, then fans can rule out a transfer to a rival SEC football program. No player (including graduate transfers) to transfer in the spring window is allowed to transfer from an SEC program to another SEC program and receive immediate eligibility for the fall season. That is a rule in place by the SEC, not the NCAA.

That still leaves a wide range of power conference programs across the Big Ten, Big 12 and the ACC, as well as Notre Dame. Iamaleava played his high school football in California and generated prominent offers from major West Coast programs, so areas such as Oregon, USC or UCLA could be in play from the Big Ten.

For now, fans will have to wait and see where the former elite prospect heads and where Tennessee eventually turns for his replacement in Knoxville.

Paul Harvey

Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.