Paul Finebaum Has Strong Warning for Teams Interested in Nico Iamaleava

Andy Nesbitt | Apr 16, 2025

Nico Iamaleava is trying to find a new college football team to play for. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Nico Iamaleava has been the talk of college football the past few days since he made the surprising decision over the weekend to enter the transfer portal.

Iamaleava started 13 games for Tennessee last season and led the Vols to the College Football Playoff, where they were blown out by Ohio State in the first round.

The reason he opted to leave Tennessee stems from the 20-year-old wanting more NIL money. His search for a new team hasn't gone well so far, as a number of possible programs have dropped out of the race.

ESPN's Paul Finebaum had a warning Tuesday for teams that might be interested in Iamaleava.

“I would stay away from him,” Finebaum during an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. "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."

Finebaum added:

“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."

It will be interesting to see how this plays out for Iamaleava, who played in 18 games in his two seasons at Tennessee.

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