Where Does Oregon Turn at Quarterback Following Nico Iamaleava's Commitment to Tennessee?

The college football world received a big piece of news on Monday morning when 5-star Long Beach (Calif.) Poly quarterback Nico Iamaleava announced his commitment to Tennessee. While many believed it was only a matter of time before this came to fruition, there will be significant fallout on the recruiting trail.

A select group of coaching staffs are still in the running for Arch Manning, who visited Georgia over the weekend, but Oregon isn't one of them. With Iamaleava now off the board, where does the Oregon staff turn in their search for an elite signal caller in 2023?

The answer is Jaden Rashada, another 5-star quarterback from California, and one the Ducks have been recruiting for some time.

Rashada, much like Iamaleava, is a very polished quarterback with a ton of tools to his game. Listed at 6'4 and around 185 pounds, he stands tall in the pocket and has a rocket of an arm.

He excels in the face of pressure, whether he's standing in the pocket in the face of pressure, or improvising and making off-platform throws while keeping his eyes downfield.

The Northern California native was recently on campus in Eugene for a visit in January, and the feeling after that visit is that the Ducks were in great shape. I can confirm that they still are.

Is this one a done deal? Far from it.

The talented signal caller has more than 30 reported offers and is clearly highly coveted.

For Oregon, the relationship with Offensive Coordinator Kenny Dillingham will be a key factor in his recruitment, as he's leading the way in their pursuit of Rashada. While he was on campus he got to sit down with Dillingham and talk x's and o's, something that really stood out to him on the trip.

As I said, there's no shortage of offers coming in and a recent one to keep an eye on is Miami, which materialized last month.

God is GREAT, All Glory 2 Him! I’m beyond blessed to have received an offer from The University Of Miami 🟠🌴! @Coach_Gattis #TheU #GoCanes pic.twitter.com/ddbzR88OPI
— Jaden Rashada 5️⃣ (@jadenrashada) February 23, 2022

Sure that'd be a cross-country move going to Coral Gables, but as we just saw, players are willing to make that move if the feeling is right. Furthermore, there's already a relationship with Mario Cristobal from his time recruiting Rashada during his time at Oregon.

Another school sources tell me to monitor is BYU. There's some recent success at the position in Provo with Zach Wilson going No. 2 overall to the Jets last year. Furthermore, Rashada's brother, Roman, a JUCO defensive back in the 2022 class, announced his commitment to the Cougars last week and we know how much family can move the needle in any given recruitment.

The quarterback made the trip to Provo with his brother earlier this month and was offered by Kalani Sitake. Add in an upcoming move to the BIG 12 conference in 2023, and that could raise the intrigue of donning the royal blue.

Rashada told me he's confident Oregon will receive an official visit, which he wants to start soon. He knows how important it is for a team to get their quarterback in the fold early, and he wants to get to work recruiting a strong class wherever he ends up.

Another player that could be worth watching for Oregon is Eli Holstein, a 2023 4-star (0.9763 per 247 Sports Composite) quarterback from Zachary, La. who just backed off a nine-month commitment to Texas A&M after landing recent offers from Oregon and Alabama.

Another quarterback domino that could follow Iamaleava's commitment is Dante Moore, a 5-star (0.9970 per 247 Sports Composite) quarterback from Detroit who is considered a Notre Dame lean.

*WATCH JADEN RASHADA HIGHLIGHTS HERE*

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