Five-star QB Nico Iamaleava trims list to five

Long Beach (Calif.) Poly five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava is a top target for some of the top programs in the country and he has eliminated all but five schools. The No. 5 prospect in the On3 Consensus has trimmed his list to Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Oregon and Tennessee.

“It wasn’t easy narrowing it down,” Iamaleava told On3. “I have a big heart, so telling coaches no is not easy for me. The relationships I have with so many schools are good and that made it so hard. I think about feelings a lot, so this was not easy for me.”

Iamaleava kept the five schools on his list because of the opportunity each presents to go with the relationships he has built with coaches on each staff. BYU, LSU, Penn State and UCLA were some of the others in the mix but didn’t quite make the cut.

He has visited all five schools at least once with the last visit being to Tennessee at the beginning of March. He is set to return to Knoxville the weekend of April 8 and he is looking to schedule a couple of more visits in the coming weeks.

The No. 3 quarterback in the country is working towards a sprint decision. He said he could commit from this group of schools or cut it down to two as he closes in on his commitment.

Iamaleava breaks down his top five schools

Alabama: “It is Alabama. Coach Wiggins and coach O’Brien are great and we get along so well. What Alabama can do with me played into it too. Thinking about what I could do there is pretty exciting. Nick Saban is the guy with the formula with players.”

Georgia: “Coach Monken has been real and consistent with me. He was down to see me a couple of times and he is a smart guy. I like his experience and how he has been real with me from the beginning.”

Miami: “I was there in January and I like coach Cristobal a lot. He is a real person that loves what he does. He has a great personality, he is genuine and he loves Miami. Me and my parents love who coach Cristobal is and that visit meant a lot to me. The whole staff is full of great people.”

Oregon: “Coach Lanning is a great guy. I love coach Lanning and coach Dillingham and coach Lupoi are great guys too. My cousin (Viane Talamaivao) is up there too, so I have a family connection. There are a lot of Polynesians up there too, so it just feels right. The people at Oregon made the vibe cool.”

Tennessee: “Tennessee could be a great fit for me. With coach Heupel, coach Golesh and coach Halzle, those are three great offensive minds. They put up points, they can develop quarterbacks and I love the fan base.”