Come Wednesday, we could quickly find out where former Tennessee Vols standout quarterback Nico Iamaleava is going to end up. That's when the portal officially opens for spring transfers. In the past couple of days, several teams have been rumored as potential landing spots.
One of the schools mentioned has been North Carolina, as legendary head coach Bill Belichick is now on campus and he's getting ready for Year 1 in Chapel Hill. While things are expected to heat up for Iamaleava's recruitment in the coming days, a 'crystal ball' pick on 247Sports has already gone in for Iamaleava to sign with the Tar Heels. Are the wheels in motion here?
24/7 Sports just projected Tennessee transfer QB Nico Iamaleava to land with Bill Belichick and UNC.
— Travon Miles (@TrayABC11) April 14, 2025
#1 player in the portal.
This could get interesting. Buckle up.
(📸: @jerseyxswap) pic.twitter.com/MoBsa6LfVS
Nico Iamaleava has been predicted to transfer from Tennessee to North Carolina
Buckle up indeed. North Carolina would make a ton of sense. Belichick is in his first season in the college ranks and he's going to want to make a bit of a splash. He's a winner and isn't going to take Miami and Clemson rolling over him. This spring, freshman Bryce Baker and transfer Ryan Browne showcased their stuff, but the two weren't overly impressive.
As for Iamaleava, playing for the best NFL coach of all time before he makes the jump to the pros is something he's definitely going to be interested in. North Carolina has the NIL money/support to get something done too. Would the Tar Heels be able to reach the $4 million Iamaleava is reportedly looking for?
That number was something the Vols weren't going to touch, which started this transfer drama in the first place. The expectation was that Iamaleava would potentially look to play closer to home in California, but if the right offer comes in from a school like UNC, then the call will end up being easy for him.
Keep in mind, however, that there are still a lot of moving parts and other programs are expected to make a push to bring Iamaleava in. Heupel is going to be busy himself looking for a new quarterback in the portal, as he confirmed Tennessee will be bringing in a new signal-caller once things open up later this week.