The spring transfer window opens on Wednesday and hundreds of players have already announced they intend to transfer. Who are the big names to watch and what teams are going to make waves? Check out the top five storylines to watch during the spring transfer window.
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WHERE WILL NICO IAMALEAVA LAND?
The dust from Nico Iamaleava‘s decision to leave Tennessee has settled somewhat. UCLA remains a legitimate contender to land his commitment while USC, Notre Dame, and Texas Tech have removed themselves from consideration. North Carolina seems to have done the same since the Tar Heels' interest has turned to South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez. There are other programs poking around, but none with the traction that the Bruins currently have.
How quickly Iamaleava wants to find his next school and how the behind-the-scenes negotiations play out are certainly worth watching.
WHAT WILL TENNESSEE DO AT QUARTERBACK?
Did things play out with Nico Iamaleava the way Tennessee wanted them to? Definitely not, but the Vols held their ground and will be looking for at least one more quarterback when the portal opens tomorrow.
Tennessee isn’t going to let go of its College Football Playoff hopes so easily so expect the program to be very smart about who it decides to pursue when the portal opens on Wednesday.
George McIntyre and Jake Merklinger are the only two quarterbacks Tennessee has on its roster so don’t be surprised if Tennessee goes after at least one signal caller this spring. With more than $2 million per year to play with, Tennessee will have some attractive options.
WHO WILL MAKE A BIG MOVE AT RECEIVER?
Demand for explosive receivers is through the roof and there are a number of top 25 programs ready to shell out huge sums to top receivers in the portal. Texas just added a promising player in former Stanford receiver Emmett Mosley. Penn State’s need for a top-flight receiver is well-known. The same thing can be said for Michigan.
Arizona State is looking to add weapons for quarterback Sam Leavitt. Texas A&M brought in an excellent haul of receivers earlier this transfer cycle but standout Micah Hudson is no longer with the team so the Aggies could look to bring in another pass catcher.
WHICH QUARTERBACKS WILL ENTER THE PORTAL?
Tennessee’s vacancy at quarterback is igniting what was already going to be a hot quarterback market. Outside of Iamaleava, there won’t be nearly as many big names transferring but there is still going to be a lot of movement.
Wake Forest quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski already announced he’ll be transferring. Keep an eye on the major quarterback competitions from spring practice (Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oregon) as well as some notable signal callers from the Group of Five level. South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez is set to hit the portal on Wednesday.
More announcements are expected on Tuesday.
HOW ACTIVE WILL NORTH CAROLINA BE?
Head coach Bill Belichick isn’t going to wait around for talented freshmen to develop before he can compete for a berth in the College Football Playoff. The GOAT of NFL coaches wants to win now and the Tar Heels are expected to be active this spring. Expect the number of transfers North Carolina finishes with to be closer to 30 than 20.
With a need at quarterback, the Tar Heels were linked to Nico Iamaleava but their attention has turned to South Alabama’s Gio Lopez. North Carolina has needs almost across the board so look for it to cast a wide net this spring.
