When will Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava be eligible for the NFL Draft?

One of the main reasons I was so optimistic about the Tennessee Volunteers this season was the rising star they have at quarterback. We know Josh Heupel can coach, but they’ve never had a player like Nico Iamaleava at center. Yes, their offense is a little sketchy, but Iamaleava has a great chance to become the first Heisman Trophy winner in Tennessee history. He’s that special!

As you prepare for the biggest game of college football in Week 4, the one that pits Heupel against his alma mater of Oklahoma in Norman, we have to ask ourselves this question: Is Iamaleava draft-eligible? When might he leave college football for the bright lights of the NFL? Luckily, he’s just a redshirt freshman.

Iamaleava was a blue-chip prospect coming out of high school in the Class of 2023. He committed to Tennessee from his native Southern California amid some controversy. Most people think he’s the player The Athletic wrote was paid multi-million dollars in NIL money to play at his school. Last year, he mostly backed up Joe Milton III, but he did shine at times as a true freshman.

Simply put, Iamaleava won’t be eligible for the draft until 2026 at the earliest. He can play at UTK until 2027.

Truth be told, we’ve only seen Iamaleava start four games in two seasons? He hasn’t even started a conference game yet. I love his talent and undeniable potential, but let him enjoy his college career and get better along the way. Overall, I like his chances of being a first-round pick in 2026. If he plays like I know he can, he’ll be my preseason Heisman pick in 2025.

When evaluating Iamaleava’s game, it has to be done purely from an arm talent standpoint. While Heupel’s offense is fun to watch, we’ve seen time and time again one player after another struggle to make an impact at the next level. Receivers don’t know how to run routes and other things of that nature. That doesn’t change the fact that I think Iamaleava could be so special.

The good news is that he’s only in his second year of the three years required out of high school to be draft-eligible. He needs to make more starts, build up his body, and develop some sort of command at the line of scrimmage. Again, I like the potential, but I wonder if he’ll be ready to lead an NFL team out of the tunnel in Week 1 in 2026. I want to see this quarterback improve.

Before we put Iamaleava on an NFL team, man, let’s first see how his college career is going.