I know he’s a bit of a NIL whore but how has Nico Iamaleava not been mentioned once in 4 pages thread discussing 2026 QB prospects?
He was very underwhelming last year in an extremely QB friendly system. He threw for under 200 yards in 7/9 SEC games. He was also a big reason why they got their doors blown off by OSU in the first round of the playoffs. He couldn’t complete a pass and that comes after he was allegedly already trying to get Tennessee to pay him more money right before that game. He overplayed his hand pretty badly, but he also wasn’t really that good. He has a big arm, but he’s going to be a statue in the NFL IMO. He’s willing to run when the sea parts but he’s not that athletic by NFL standards because he’s a tall long strider. UCLA has a crappy roster and I’d bet he doesn’t play all too well next year and then subsequently transfers again to a Miami or something to try to revive his draft stock.
Just doesn’t seem like the beachy LA kid with a helicopter father is going to be the one to finally solve the Jets QB issues
I also think this class is going to produce a later round gem or two. Someone like Allar or Beck could drop and end up sitting for a couple years only to go on becoming great QB’s.
This is spot on. Exactly how I look at Allar. I’ll admit that part of that isn’t aa much about Allar as it is just a well-earned skepticism from every PSU QB ever drafted.
Nico will no doubt be drafted, more likely in 2027. On resume to-date, he’s a late round pick. All the hype aside, he’s yet to prove high-level play with any consistency. Not sure he chose the right landing spot for that. The second half of this season will tell us who Nico is. He was supposed to be the anti-Joe Milton - all the tools and athleticism without all the stupid mistakes. Unless he puts up Top-10 stats this year, he’ll make more money these next two seasons playing college ball.
Nussmeier is my preseason favorite in this class, but the guy who really intrigues me is Fernando Mendoza. I looked back at his 2024 highlights because, like the rest of the college football world, I didn’t give a shit about Cal last season. Smart, pretty strong arm, seems to see the whole field. Gets a little antsy in the pocket. That’s just from a highlight reel, so it will be interesting to see what he can do in watchable games, against solid defenses, when all the boneheaded stuff isn’t clipped out. I’m kinda rooting for the kid.
Mendoza is going to look really good. Indiana has probably the easiest schedule of any power 5 team. When they are 10-1 he will be well talked about, but to me that doesn’t mean he’s good
You could be right. When I looked deeper into his 2024 stats, some of his success last year does seem a little mirage-y.
What about this guy Rocco Becht? Anthony Becht’s kid. Now that would be a story if he was a great Jets QB
There you are, Sunday. You always have good "College Knowledge." Yup, I'm a poet and I know it! I don't know what they are doing with those QB's at Penn State but Kerry Collins is the lone standout and he was only just above average. Strange...
I look at tools & character when evaluating QB prospects. Don’t know about his character but he has all the tools like you said. Box score scouting will cause you to pass on a guy like Josh Allen. Also ain’t no way in hell a kid w/ Nico’s tools, measurables and ability is projected as a late round pick. He’s a 2nd round prospect at worst even w/ the somewhat mediocre numbers and NIL baggage. I think he will be a 1st round lock by season’s end.
He can definitely wing the ball but he might be too short. He looks much smaller than 6’1” on the field. Maybe, but he looks to have the entire skill set minus being any sort of scramble run threat.
It’s not that Nico doesn’t have top half of the draft talent. He’s shown that in flashes. Just not with any consistency against SEC teams. UT’s 2024 CFP run wasn’t built around Nico. It was built on a combination of defense and Dylan Sampson. For a guy with Nico’s talent, his job was limited to making timely throws and no mistakes. Add to that, the NIL money grab wasn’t his only off-field issue. Ignoring the pissy rumors from Tenn fans, we know now he had red flags going all the way back to high school. All he had to do is show up. He already had one of the highest NIL deals. He should be kicking himself, his agent and his dad. Not because he signed with UCLA for less money. If all he did was grumble quietly and didn’t hold out, six months later Tenn would sign an Oregon-Nike level deal with Addidas and be flush with cash. Congratulation, Nico! Top level talent combined with mid-tier play and a bad attitude nets you a 5th-6th round pick.
