Texas head football coach Joey McGuire spent $10 million on his transfer portal class this offseason. Perhaps there’s one finishing touch up his sleeve: Tennessee transfer Nico Iamalavea.
Rivals’ Adam Friedman acknowledged McGuire has a tabbed starting signal-caller in Behren Morton but predicted a pursuit of Iamaleava anyway.
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“The Red Raiders have been the headline-makers of this transfer cycle and seem to have endlessly deep pockets. They have a returning starter in Behren Morton but he probably won’t keep Texas Tech from pursuing a potential upgrade at the position,” Friedman wrote.
“Joey McGuire’s squad has already undergone massive roster changes this offseason and adding Iamaleava is a potentially game-changing move.”
The Red Raiders have hovered around mediocrity since McGuire took over the program. Texas Tech is finally in a position to be as nationally relevant as they were under the late, great Mike Leach, though.
Iamaleava would make the Red Raiders a national brand after the magnitude of the Long Beach, California native’s power play on UT. Whether he’s worth the money would be a prevailing narrative – just like what it’ll be for Carson Beck in Miami and John Mateer at Oklahoma.
By himself, his ceiling is somewhat limited as the overmatched Volunteers showed against eventual CFP champion Ohio State in December.
Texas Tech has four-star USC transfer running back Quinten Joyner and four-star Maryland transfer receiver Reggie Virgil, and a much easier road to a CFP spot in the Big 12, to help sell Iamaleava on this offseason.