Now that Nico Iamaleava is expected to commit to UCLA after leaving Tennessee in the transfer portal, all eyes are on Josh Heupel and the Volunteers to see who their next starting quarterback is going to be heading into next season.

The market for starting quarterbacks is pretty light so far in the spring portal, and Iamaleava was clearly the top option available before heading to Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon. As of now, the options are pretty thin for the Volunteers, but there is the off chance that a player could enter the portal with the intention of starting in Knoxville.

There was some hope that TCU standout Josh Hoover could be that player, but it turns out that isn't going to work out for Heupel and company. Hoover is not entering the transfer portal and will return to TCU next season, according to On3 Sports.

“NEW: TCU QB Josh Hoover will NOT enter the Transfer Portal amidst rumors of being a possible target for Tennessee,” On3 Sports wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Related Tennessee Football NewsArticle continues below
Jayden Maiava and Lincoln Riley. The LA Colussieum in the background. USC football, usc schedule, usc prediction
Full USC football game-by-game predictions for 2025 season
Jerseys and helmets of the Boise State Broncos and Penn State Nittany Lions on display at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Ragsdale Executive Terminal
Boise State AD takes shot at CFP committee after rule change
Before DeSean Jackson took over Delaware State, Michael Vick looked to add him to his coaching staff at Norfolk State.
Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson first media day to be held in NFL stadium

TCU had a relatively disappointing season last year, so it makes sense why Tennessee fans would have wanted to poach Hoover and sell him on the idea of winning more games and making a run at the College Football Playoff. However, bringing back one of the top passers in the nation should allow TCU to make a run at a Big 12 Championship themselves.

Those struggles for the Horned Frogs last season had nothing to do with Hoover. He completed more than 66% of his passes in 2024 and threw for 3,949 yards, good for seventh in the nation. He also tossed 27 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions.

It will be tough for Hoover to replicate that as TCU loses a pair of wideouts, Jack Bech and Savion Williams, to the NFL, but he still projects as one of the top signal callers in the Big 12 and in the country.

On the Tennessee football side, the search for a quarterback continues in the transfer portal as Heupel tries to replace Iamaleava. As of now, redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George McIntyre are the only two quarterbacks on the roster.