Even before Nico Iamaleava was a free agent, there were some people talking about the Notre Dame football team being one of the programs looking to kick the tires on the now-former Tennessee Volunteers’ quarterback. However, the people who were pushing that idea ignored a key point. It didn’t make much sense.
Marcus Freeman didn’t mince words this winter when he said the Irish were not looking for a transfer quarterback. After Sam Hartman in 2023 and Riley Leonard in 2024, the starting quarterback for the Golden Domers in 2025 is going to be either Steve Angeli, CJ Carr or Kenny Minchey. He stood by that as the winter portal closed without a QB addition.
Despite that, analysts once again claimed that the Notre Dame football team might be interested in Iamaleava. And that’s when FootballScoop’s John Brice came out and made sure everyone was aware that there is actually very little chance of that happening.
Per @JohnDBrice1 neither Notre Dame nor USC have any interest in Nico.
— FootballScoop (@FootballScoop) April 12, 2025
This all feels like a disaster we are all going to watch play out in slow motion.
Notre Dame football makes clear it has zero interest in Nico Iamaleava
“Important to note here,” Brice wrote on Twitter in all caps. “Am told EMPHATICALLY that neither Notre Dame nor USC has any interest whatsoever in Nico.”
That should put any speculation that the Irish are going to be pursuing the former Vols quarteberback at all. Considering common sense said they wouldn’t it’s more just confirmation that Freeman and crew will indeed stick with the plan.
Among other things, I can’t think of a better way to make sure the Golden Domers sees at least two QBs head for the portal. Not because they don’t want to compete, but because they were lied to right up until two days after Spring Practice was over.
Marcus Freeman has built up a very good culture inside the Notre Dame football program. He’s not dumb enough to ruin that by bringing in a guy who has the rep of a clubhouse cancer to be the starting quarterback.