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Coming off its first College Football Playoff appearance, Tennessee is in an unfortunate and unpredictable situation entering the summer months. With Nico Iamaleava entering the college football transfer portal following a wild NIL dispute, the Volunteers are suddenly left without a quarterback and forced to embark on a wild goose chase just four months ahead of the start of the 2025 season.
Two years after Iamaleava landed in Knoxville as the school's highest-touted quarterback since Peyton Manning, he leaves after just one full season on the field. Despite the holes many poked in his game, the former five-star recruit leaves behind a massive void for head coach Josh Heupel to fill without many options on the table.
With the spring college football transfer portal opening up on April 16, Tennessee may be forced to dig in the shallow pool of available players. Unfortunately for the Volunteers, the list of quarterbacks in the portal capable of starting for a championship contending team does not extend far beyond Iamaleava. Regardless, Heupel is going to have to put somebody on the field, opening the door for any potential unsung hero to save the day.
Whether it be an in-house promotion or an external addition, the next Tennessee quarterback will face the unenviable task of diving right into the deep end off the bat. None of the available options appear capable of that task at the moment, but stranger stories have arisen in college football.
George MacIntyre (true freshman, Tennessee)
If Tennessee finds Nico Iamaleava's replacement from within its own doors, it will likely be true freshman George MacIntyre. He does not have the same level of hype as Iamaleava, but a solid amount of the fan base is excited about MacIntyre, an in-state four-star recruit. At the time of his commitment, the Brentwood Academy alum was the top-rated quarterback in the state.
With a 6-foot-6, 190-pound build, MacIntyre certainly could use some added muscle to his body but has the potential to grow into an elite frame. His movement and mechanics are already college-level ready, giving him a solid chance of developing into the true franchise quarterback Tennessee fans thought Iamaleava would be.
As an early enrollee, MacIntyre gave Tennessee fans a first glance at his game at the team's 2025 ‘Orange & White' spring football game. He performed well, ending the exhibition with 124 passing yards and two touchdowns on four drives, per The Daily Beacon. He also fielded seven carries for 35 rushing yards.
Given his performance at the spring game, MacIntyre has the upper hand over redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger. Heupel would still be wise to add a veteran to the group in the spring transfer portal, but there is a good chance MacIntyre begins Week 1 as the starter.
Jadyn Davis (redshirt freshman, Michigan)
Once the spring transfer portal officially opens, Jadyn Davis could be one of the most interesting names to monitor. The former four-star recruit has stated his determination to compete with super prospect Bryce Underwood, and on all accounts, has battled with him step-for-step in offseason practices. However, Michigan is not paying Underwood $10 million to sit on the bench, and the 2025 No. 1 recruit is reportedly already trending toward QB1 status.
Though Davis still has four years of eligibility ahead of him, he appears to be an unfortunate victim of the Underwood hype. All reports from the Michigan camp claim that Davis is the real deal, but merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is no quit in Davis, but even Sherrone Moore might suggest it would be in his best interest to find success elsewhere.
If Davis enters the transfer portal, he would immediately join Nico Iamaleava at the top of the quarterback list. Fresh off a College Football Playoff appearance, Tennessee would be as good a landing spot for him as any to showcase his talent. As an athletic pocket passer with dual-threat potential, Davis can emulate a lot of what Iamaleava did in Heupel's offense.
The fact that all Michigan players are throwing Davis' name into conversations when showering Underwood with praise should speak volumes on his potential. With Davis being a North Carolina native, a move to Tennessee would allow him to be slightly closer to home while still competing at the highest level.
Brendan Sullivan (senior, Iowa)
In light of the Nico Iamaleava NIL drama, Brendan Sullivan's addition to the college football transfer portal slipped under the radar. With one year of eligibility remaining, Sullivan will enter the spring portal after Iowa added former South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski earlier in the offseason.
Although his career has not been the most successful, Sullivan led Iowa to a 2-2 record in four starts down the stretch of 2024 after taking over for an injured Cade McNamara. He suffered his own injury late in the year but returned for the Music City Bowl and led the Hawkeyes to a spirited 27-24 defeat against No. 19-ranked Missouri.
Sullivan ended his one season at Iowa with 475 passing yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 71.4 percent of his passes. He added 150 rushing yards and four additional scores on the ground. His numbers, while not elite, represent his dual-threat skill set, which Heupel clearly values in his offense. From Joe Milton III to Iamaleava, Tenessee has recognized a lot of recent success with similar quarterbacks under center.
Sullivan is not a name who will necessarily excite Tennessee football fans, but he has arguably the most experience of any player in the portal. By transferring from Iowa, Sullivan appears to want a starting role in his final year, but he would be a great veteran addition to the quarterback room if Heupel can sell him on a pitch.
Brayden Dorman (sophomore, Arizona)
After two uneventful seasons at Arizona, Brayden Dorman entered his name into the portal. While the hype has died down around his name, Dorman is only two years removed from being the 18th-best quarterback of the class of 2023.
The inactivity with Dorman is concerning coming off two years away from live competition. Despite preparing for his junior year academically, he has yet to play an official college football snap. However, the former four-star recruit is still young enough in his career to deliver on the potential many saw in him as one of the top quarterback prospects in Colorado state history.
In his four seasons at Vista Ridge High School, Dorman threw for a combined 10,285 passing yards and 116 touchdowns. As a senior, he threw for a whopping 3,783 yards and 49 touchdowns, leading to multiple Power Five conference offers. With a 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame, his size and pocket presence were already deemed pro-ready coming out of high school.
While the talent is clearly there, the uncertainty surrounding his Arizona career poses more than a couple of question marks. Still, all Dorman needs is a chance to deliver, and Tennessee could be the team that provides him the opportunity.
Jaden Rashada (sophomore, Georgia)
Given the bitter way Tennessee parted ways with Nico Iamaleava, the Volunteers might not want to touch a player like Jaden Rashada with a ten-foot pole. As bad as Iamaleava's situation is, Rashada is still dealing with one of the most publicized NIL controversies as his lawsuit against Florida and Billy Napier presses on. Regardless, he may be the most talented player in the college football transfer portal, including Iamaleava.
With the way Rashada has tripled down on his NIL lawsuit, he has hardly had the opportunity to showcase the skills that made him a consensus four-star recruit. The well-traveled prodigy played just three games at Arizona State as a true freshman in 2023 before suffering a thumb injury and did not play a single snap with Georgia in 2024.
In his three games with Arizona State, Rashada lit up Southern Utah before struggling against Oklahoma State and Arizona. The performances did not scream superstar, but were nonetheless encouraging for a true freshman in his first few starts against Pac-12 competition. He still ended the year with a 112.1 passer rating, higher than that of his replacement, Trenton Bourguet.
Given Rashada's NIL dispute, it would be understandable if Tennessee passed on him in the college football transfer portal. The Nico Iamaleava situation is a tough pill to swallow. But there may not be another quarterback on the market able to immediately contribute to a team looking to return to title contention the way the Volunteers are.
