Ohio State Buckeyes Named Top Transfer Destination for Nico Iamaleava

The Ohio State Buckeyes have been named a top destination for Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava in the transfer portal.

Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) runs for a touchdown during the first half of the College Football Playoff first round game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Dec. 21, 2024. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers have decided to move on from quarterback Nico Iamaleava after a disagreement over NIL money, and now, a swarm of teams will surely descend on him as he looks for a new home. Could the Ohio State Buckeyes be one of them?

Bill Bender of Sporting News thinks so, naming Ohio State as a potential destination for Iamaleava as he enters the transfer portal.

"It sounds crazy, but don't rule out Ryan Day," Bender wrote. "Ohio State won a national championship with a first-year transfer quarterback in Will Howard last season, and Iamaleava showed toughness in that loss to the Buckeyes last season with 20 carries for 47 yards and two TDs. The competition between Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz this spring does not have a definite answer at this point. If Ohio State were to make this move, then that would suggest Iamaleava is good as a one-year rental for a national championship contender."

Bender actually makes a very salient point. The Buckeyes have been hoping that Sayin would be their starting quarterback next season, but his struggles in spring practice have been concerning, to say the least. Kienholz has been up and down, as well.

Taking that into consideration, it would not be farfetched for Ohio State to snatch up Iamaleava, let Sayin sit for one more year and then roll with Sayin under center in 2026.

Iamaleava has three years of eligibility remaining, but many expect the 20-year-old to enter the NFL Draft after next season.

This past year, Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 63.8 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 358 yards and three scores.

Of course, Iamaleava faced the Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff, going 14-for-31 with 104 yards in a brutal 42-17 loss.

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