Former Cowboys star Dez Bryant suggests "smartest" destination for Nico Iamaleava amid growing interest

Nico Iamaleava has been the biggest storyline of college football in the past week. The Tennessee quarterback, known for signing a multi-millionaire deal while he was a high school senior, had a public breakup with the Volunteers and submitted all the paperwork to enter the transfer portal.

In a new college era with NIL deals changing the landscape of commitments and recruits, Iamaleava's situation has attracted media attention due to the numbers involved and his on-field performances. With a strong quarterback entering the transfer portal so late, many universities will line up to try and sign him.

Former NFL wide receiver Dez Bryant highlighted a possible landing spot for Iamaleave. Dez reckons the redshirt sophomore quarterback should move from Tennessee to North Carolina, which has produced two quarterbacks who were top-three picks in the last eight years:

"If his camp was smart, the smartest thing to do would be to go to North Carolina."

North Carolina's appeal in 2025, though, is different. The university hired legendary coach Bill Belichick to lead the program for three years. Belichick won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and is widely considered one of the best coaches of all time.

In December 2024, Belichick vowed to run North Carolina as a pipeline to the NFL in an interview with Pat McAfee:

"If I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL. It would be a professional program: training, nutrition, scheme, coaching and techniques that would transfer to the NFL … It would be an NFL program but not at the NFL level.”

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Josh Heupel confirms Tennessee will look at the transfer portal for Iamaleava's replacement

The Tennessee coach told his players on Friday night that Iamaleava, their 2024 starter, would be off the roster due to a contract dispute. On Saturday, during the school's spring game, he added that the Volunteers would look for other options.

“With only two scholarship players at the quarterback position, we’ll have to find another guy. ... There’s no one that’s bigger than the Power T, and that includes me.”

George MacIntyre, a Tennessee native, is the current starter. It's unknown who will take Iamaleava's place, even if MacIntyre has a good showing during the spring game.