The transfer portal, in general, has become crazy for college athletes. Now, with NIL and revenue sharing, players have as much leverage as ever. The most important athletes in college football are at the quarterback position.
Earlier this week, Tennessee starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava reported issues with the Vols program, including payments, etc. The relationship broke down, so they had to part ways, setting off a massive ripple effect in the sport this offseason.
Sources: Tennessee is moving on from starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Tennessee coach Josh Heupel informed the team of the decision at a team meeting this morning. Iamaleava missed meetings and practice on Friday, which was the driver of this decision. pic.twitter.com/BsdhJMDXiz
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 12, 2025
Is college basketball immune to the same things happening? We have around a week left in the transfer portal and some returning stars could pull a similar stunt to their respective teams. Here’s a list of guys to watch who could be the CBB version of Iamaleava.
Braden Smith - Purdue Boilermakers
The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and All-American guard averaged 15.8 ppg and 8.7 apg this past season. With Trey Kaufman-Renn returning and the addition of big man Oscar Cluff, the Boilermakers will be a preseason national title contender in 2026. Smith, who has one year left in college, has plenty of leverage to get one of the highest deals in the sport.
PJ Haggerty - Memphis Tigers
The 6’3 guard led Memphis with 21.7 ppg, earning AAC Player of the Year honors. He would command a ton of money if he were to enter the portal, with all of the blue blood programs being able to use him. The Tigers need to find a way to keep Haggerty, but will better offers be available?
Chad Baker-Mazara - Auburn Tigers
Baker-Mazara has another year of eligibility thanks to a new ruling involving JUCO years. The 6’7 forward averaged 12.7 ppg and is one of the only Auburn players that could come back. But, as a 3 and D veteran, other teams could be willing to offer a giant bag to pry him away. If other teams have more appealing rosters, Auburn may need to make a big push to keep Baker-Mazara around if he doesn’t go pro.