Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Declines To Comment On Nico Iamaleava, Transfer Portal

In what has become one of the biggest stories of the college football offseason, Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning declined to comment on the situation between the Tennessee Volunteers and quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

Iamaleava and the Volunteers made headlines when it was reported that the Tennessee quarterback missed practice over a name, image, and likeness (NIL) disagreement. On April 12, news of Iamaleava leaving Tennessee and entering the transfer portal broke.

Teams like the Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans were immediately linked to Iamaleava because of the quarterback's ties to the West Coast. However, Lanning refused to speak on the situation after Oregon's scrimmage on Saturday.

"Not getting into anything else except, let's talk about the scrimmage today. The Ducks worked really hard in a scrimmage today," said Lanning when speaking to the media.

Nov 26, 2022; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks onto the field during the second half against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. | Soobum Im-Imagn Images

Iamaleava was a five-star recruit in the class of 2023, and he was ranked as the No. 1 prospect from California, the No. 2 quarterback in his class, and the No. 3 overall recruit in the country, according to 247Sports' rankings.

The Ducks recruited Iamaleava out of high school, leading many to believe that Oregon could be a destination for the former Tennessee quarterback in the transfer portal. Additionally, Iamaleava grew up as a fan of former Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota.

However, the Ducks appear set at the quarterback position with Dante Moore and Austin Novosad competing for the starting job. Behind them, Oregon quarterbacks Luke Moga and Akili Smith Jr. are waiting for an opportunity.

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Lanning spoke about the Ducks' quarterback competition after the team scrimmaged on Saturday. While the Oregon coach did not tip his hand as to whether Moore or Novosad has the edge, he did reveal what he looks for in a starting quarterback.

"There's a teaching progression to everything that we do. Same with quarterback, so I'm more concerned about are their eyes in the right spot to start, right? Are they making the right calls, the right reads, the right checks, and are they putting the ball in jeopardy? Are they protecting the ball?" said Lanning.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore throws out a pass during practice with the Oregon Ducks Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024 at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

With Iamaleava set to enter the transfer portal when it opens on Aprli 16, it would be difficult for the former Volunteers quarterback to learn Oregon's playbook under offensive coordinator Will Stein in time for the 2025 season. Moreover, both Moore and Novosad have spent time in Oregon's program learning the system.

Former Oregon coach and now leader of the Miami Hurricanes Mario Cristobal voiced his opinion on the situation.

"We're not going to do that at Miami. And I say that without any hesitation. . . . If they want to play holdout, they might as well play get out," said Cristobal.

Other programs like USC and Notre Dame were initially linked to Iamaleava once news of his transfer broke, but FootballScoop's John Brice reported that neither the Trojans nor the Fighting Irish are pursuing Iamaleava.