Texas Tech tied to QB Nico Iamaleava? Why the Red Raiders should stay far away

Now that Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava is looking for a new place to play, many people online are speculating that Texas Tech could be a suitor. Here’s why that would be a terrible idea.

Saturday, the college football world was rocked by the news that Tennessee and starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava were going their separate ways after Iamaleava essentially held out of spring practices in hopes of negotiating a lucrative new NIL deal. It didn’t take long for people to begin speculating on where the former 5-star recruit would land, and many included Texas Tech as a potential destination. Let’s hope that doesn’t come to pass.

On one hand, it is a great sign that fans and experts around the nation are considering Texas Tech as an option. That indicates that the program has gained a new level of national notoriety thanks to this offseason’s unprecedented transfer portal spending spree, one that has brought the nation’s top transfer class to Lubbock.

Even just a year ago, Tech would never have been mentioned in connection with one of the most notable transfers in the country. Now, though, everyone is aware of the financial commitment that the program’s donors and NIL collective, The Matador Club, have made to make the Red Raiders national contenders.

Thus, it should come as no real surprise to see Tech mentioned as a potential player in the Iamaleava sweepstakes. However, that would be a terrible idea for head coach Joey McGuire and his program.

Texas Tech should stay far away from Nico Iamaleava

The reasons Texas Tech should stay away from Iamaleava are numerous. Chief among them is his asking price.

It is being reported that, despite being slated to make a health $2.4 million in 2025, he was searching for around $4 million from Tennessee. If that is his expectation, he will find an extremely small pool of suitors.

Yes, Tech could theoretically afford that price tag. Given the millions the Matador Club and the NIL donors have already spent on the 2025 transfer class, it is obvious that the funds are there to add whatever McGuire feels he needs.

If Iamaleava were a massive upgrade to the Red Raiders’ starting QB position, it might be worth the unprecedented financial investment, given what Tech has already spent this offseason. However, that wouldn’t be the case.

Another reason that Tech should avoid dealing with Iamaleava is that he simply isn’t any better than Behren Morton.

Last season, Iamaleava 2,616 yards and 19 TDs with five interceptions while completing 63.8% of his passes. However, 11 of his touchdowns came against Tennessee-Chattanooga, UTEP, and Vanderbilt. Against top-25 teams, Tennessee went 1-2 overall, and he completed only 52.7% of his passes for 465 yards and one touchdown.

Meanwhile, Morton threw for 3,335 yards and 27 TDs with eight interceptions in 2024, despite playing with an injured throwing shoulder that required offseason surgery. In other words, Morton has far better career stats and will play at a much more reasonable price this fall.

Another reason for Tech to keep its distance would be the presence of Will Hammond. Just a redshirt freshman in 2025, he is considered by almost everyone to be the future of the QB position in Lubbock.

While he has never been the starter for a full season as Iamaleava has, Hammond has shown enough to give McGuire and the Tech staff confidence that he can be a potential all-conference QB at Tech.

However, if Iamaleava were to show up in West Texas, it would almost certainly signal the end of Hammond’s Red Raider career as he isn’t likely going to want to sit behind Iamaleava (who was a redshirt freshman in 2024) for multiple years before he gets his shot to start. Additionally, based on what Iamaleava has shown as a collegiate, there’s no real indication that he is a significant upgrade over Hammond.

Finally, Iamaleava would be joining the program late in the offseason cycle. Tech is close to the end of spring practices, meaning that Iamaleava would have missed a key period of time when he would be learning the Red Raiders’ new offensive system and building a rapport with the wide receivers he would be throwing to. For a QB who still needs to develop his overall game, missing the spring to start over at a new program is not an ideal situation.

Instead, it would be wiser to simply ride with Morton and Hammond, who have been in the program for multiple years now and who are the leaders of the locker room. Adding a player who has a reputation for being a diva and who would be arriving as a hired gun would potentially upend the cultur

e that McGuire has tried to build.