North Carolina makes decision on Nico Iamaleava: report

North Carolina was considered a potential transfer destination for quarterback Nico Iamaleava, but it appears Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels may be out of the running.

Bill Belichick and North Carolina are out on Nico Iamaleava, according to a new report. / Bob Breidenbach / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nico Iamaleava is the biggest, and most surprising, name in the spring football transfer window, and the quarterback is on the lookout for a more lucrative opportunity in 2025.

But it appears one school has already been crossed off the list, as North Carolina is “out of the mix” in the race to earn Iamaleava’s commitment, according to On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos.

That’s despite Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels being decisively in the market for a new quarterback this spring, and with the program looking to spend more NIL money under the new, more aggressive Belichick regime.

But it appears the price tag for Iamaleava will still be too great for North Carolina to match, after the quarterback walked out of his NIL pact with Tennessee that was valued at roughly $2.4 million, according to an average of the latest reporting.

Current estimates contend that Iamaleava is searching for a package worth at least $4 million in order to bring himself more in line with the prevailing market value for quarterbacks this year.

That might be a little out of North Carolina’s range, although that won’t keep the school from continuing its search for a signal caller, as South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez is considered a contender to land with the Tar Heels in the forthcoming transfer period.

Iamaleava pulled off the most shocking move of the college football offseason when he elected to move on from Tennessee after it was revealed he wanted more money from the program as part of his NIL compensation.

Quarterback valuations saw a notable bump this offseason after Carson Beck and Darian Mensah were said to have signed deals worth $4 million annually with Miami and Duke, respectively.

We’ll see what Iamaleava is finally able to get as he searches for a new school, but it appears for now that new school won’t be North Carolina.

(Nakos)

-

Read more from College Football HQ

feed