Syracuse head coach Fran Brown has the Orange looking more sustainable over the long-term than anyone since Paul Pasqualoni’s run in the now-defunct Big East football conference in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Could he have SU in a position to land the most coveted quarterback in the transfer portal, Tennessee transfer Nico Iamaleava?
Saturday Down South’s Spenser Davis says the only question between Iamaleava and the Orange’s brain trust is dollars and sense, comparing a potential Iamaleava addition to Kyle McCord’s transfer from Ohio State to Syracuse last year.
Davis also acknowledged that Rickie Collins has been named the Orange’s starter under center.
“Fran Brown did it last year with Kyle McCord coming over after an ugly split from Ohio State. McCord had a great season in that offense, which should be attractive for Iamaleava. He threw for 4,779 yards and 34 touchdowns in just 13 games,” Davis wrote.
“With McCord now in the NFL, Syracuse has turned to former LSU transfer Rickie Collins. Brown named Collins the starter last week, which maybe takes Iamaleava off the table here. But Collins isn’t as experienced as some of the other transfers that found new homes this offseason and certainly doesn’t offer the upside that Iamaleava does. The question will be a financial one for both parties.
“There’s also this important detail: the Orange are set to face Tennessee in Week 1 in Atlanta, so Iamaleava would have an early chance at revenge against his old program.”
With SU hoops taking a nosedive in the post-Jim Boeheim era, Brown has masterfully surpassed the donor base’s expectations and brought big money to his program to compete for elite recruits.
Iamaleava would be a statement to say the least, but perhaps more of a boastful one than Brown is trying to make. After all, Brown is a Kirby Smart disciple.
What would Kirby do? Probably not spend big on a polarizing QB like Iamaleava.