Things are about to get pretty darn wild for the Tennessee football team. As you all know by now, starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava has left the program and he's all set to officially enter the transfer portal when things open up on April 16.
He's likely not going to be the only stud quarterback who enters his name into the portal in the coming days. With Josh Heupel confirming Tennessee will be in the market for a new quarterback, who might the UT head man go after?
There are several players being floated around as potential targets. However, a quick look on social media shows that plenty of Vols supporters have their eyes on Kansas State's Avery Johnson. Keep in mind that there's been no word of him looking for a new place to call home. Might the starting opening in Knoxville change his mind, however?
Avery Johnson highlights 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ogbhCGiWdR
— Rural Vol (@RuralVol) April 13, 2025
Tennessee fans will have their eyes on Avery Johnson once the portal opens up
Heupel previously recruited Johnson out of high school - could the two reconnect if he decides to transfer? That'd certainly be on the table, but again, Johnson is still with Kansas State and nothing has been reported in terms of him wanting to leave town.
Having said that, the opportunity to play in the SEC in front of more than 100,000 fans on Saturdays sure would be an easy sell. Johnson, who just wrapped up his sophomore season with the Wildcats, finished 2024 throwing for 2,712 yards and 25 touchdowns.
The 6-2, 195-pounder added 605 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He was easily one of the best QBs in the Big 12 last season. While he's an exciting playmaker to follow, Jackson is a Kansas native and he grew up watching K-State. Getting him to leave certainly would not be easy for Heupel if he decided to make a run at him.
For now, Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre are the two scholarship signal-callers on the roster, but help will certainly be on the way sooner rather than later with the portal open from April 16-April 25. We'll find out soon which QB makes the move to Knoxville. The idea of Johnson being the guy is nice, but several dominoes will need to fall for this to even be a possibility.