Nico Iamaleava’s divorce from Tennessee sets the quarterback up to be one of the more intriguing transfer portal options when it opens on Wednesday.
But one ESPN analyst is dubious that teams in need of a quarterback should take a leap of faith on the signal-caller.
Paul Finebaum appeared on “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” on WJOX-FM 94.5 in Birmingham on Monday and opened up about the intriguing situation that saw Iamaleava skip a Friday practice last week after he reportedly tried to secure a better NIL payment.
When Tennessee did not acquiesce, Iamaleava made his intentions clear that he would be entering the portal and seek a new program.
“I would stay away from him,” Finebaum said. “Buyer beware of this guy. It’s not even Nico. It’s the whole apparatus. Something tells me Nico personally is not personally in the middle of these negotiations. Team Nico is. I mean, there is a toxic feeling about this player because of the attention. Because he is the one everyone is talking about. I would be very careful.
“First of all, I mean, you guys are better evaluators than I am. But he’s a good quarterback. You know, how elite is he? I mean, if you don’t have a quarterback, he’s by far a better option than some guy who can barely get the signals in from the coach on the sideline. But I don’t think, in the short term, and that’s all we’re really talking about with him, he is going to make a significant difference.”
Finebaum also thought the Volunteers did the right thing in the situation, though he wasn’t too sure the team had much of a choice to do anything different.
“I think from an early view of it all, Tennessee fared incredibly well,” Finebaum said. “They’re being credited and praised across the country for getting rid of him. Now, I’m still not sure they had a choice. He didn’t show up for practice and didn’t show up on Saturday, so they were done.”
ESPN personality Paul Finebaum reacts before the start of the SEC Championship between Texas and Georgia, won by the Bulldogs, on Dec. 7, 2024. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It’s still a mystery where the quarterback will land, as ON3 reported that Bill Belichick’s North Carolina and Tulane are both out of the running.
The outlet also reported that UCLA is interested.
