Deion Sanders responds to rumors he will recruit Nico Iamaleava in the portal

One unintended but predictable side effect of having Deion Sanders as your head coach is that your program is always going to be tied to the latest hot rumor in the sport. Colorado fans were reminded of that again this week when people around the country began to speculate that the Buffaloes could be a potential landing spot for former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

As most college football fans know, the former 5-star signee and Tennessee parted ways this past weekend when the two parties couldn't come to terms on a new NIL contract. It has been reported that Iamaleava was seeking $4 million to stay in Knoxville despite already having a deal that would have paid him over $2 million in 2025.

Now, Iamaleava is on the open market, and he is being tied to programs from USC to North Carolina, to even Colorado. However, Sanders put an abrupt end to any speculation that he might be in the mix for Iamaleava.

Sunday, Sanders responded to a Colorado fan who had commented on a social media post that listed the Buffs as a potential landing spot. Sanders simply wrote, "Not true & God Bless. We good."

In other words, there appears to be no validity to the rumors that CU is interested in Iamaleava. That shouldn't come as a huge shock to those who are familiar with the Buffs' quarterback outlook for next fall.

The program is likely to turn the quarterback position over to freshman Julian Lewis, the No. 6 quarterback in the class of 2025, according to 247Sports. Because of his pedigree, the Georgia native likely didn't come cheap for the program, and therefore, it wouldn't make sense to turn right around and fork over millions of dollars for Iamaleava, who still has three years of eligibility remaining himself.

There's no reason for Sanders to create a logjam at the QB position. That's especially true because Iamaleava is yet to prove that he is a top college quarterback.

In 2024, his first season as a starter, he threw for just 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns with five interceptions in 13 games. Additionally, he was dreadful against quality opponents.

According to the X account, PickSixPreviews, Iamaleava was just 85th in QB rating, 88th in yards per attempt, and 80th in completion percentage nationally against FBS teams with a winning record in 2024. In six games against those opponents, he had just five TDs while throwing three picks.

What's more, Iamaleava would bring an added element of drama to the Colorado locker room, something that is not needed in Boulder, given how much attention the program will already receive just by having Sanders as its head coach.

Of course, the 2025 season will be fascinating because it will mark the first in Sanders' college head coaching career that he hasn't had his son, Shedeur Sanders, as his starting quarterback. Therefore, many will be watching closely to find out if Sanders and his coaching staff can develop another star QB to lead the way. While no one knows how that process will play out, what we do know is that it won't be Iamaleava leading the way for the Buffs.