Nico Iamaleava, Arch Manning and ... Jaden Rashada? Re-evaluating the QB class of 2023

The story of one particular quarterback class keeps getting weirder, and you, the viewers of Andy and Ari On3 have questions. Here is the latest edition of Ask Andy.

From Willie:
Which top-10 quarterback from the 2023 class is currently closest to performing at their ceiling? 

We’ve spent all week talking about one particular member of this class, and Nico Iamaleava likely will be the most fascinating case study in a group that has a few candidates. (Let’s be real: There might already be enough material for books on at least three of these guys.) But more than anything, the list was a stark reminder about what a crapshoot quarterback recruiting can be.

Here are the class of 2023’s top 10 QBs according to the On3 Industry ranking, which averages the rankings of On3, 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN.

1. Arch Manning: Manning signed with Texas and will ascend to the starting role in his third season in college.

2. Dante Moore: Moore signed with UCLA and played in nine games with five starts in 2023. He transferred to Oregon — where he had been committed for much of his original recruitment — and backed up Dillon Gabriel in 2024. Moore is expected to start this season, but he’s competing in spring practice against someone else on this list.

3. Nico Iamaleava: Iamaleava signed with Tennessee and won the starting job in season two. He’s now leaving Tennessee — presumably for UCLA — after a leverage play that played out like an old “When keeping it real goes wrong” skit. 

4. Jackson Arnold: Arnold signed with Oklahoma after a long commitment and took over as the starter in season two. The Sooners’ top five receivers missed long stretches of the season with injuries, and the line play was subpar. Arnold briefly lost the job to Michael Hawkins Jr. before winning it back. Arnold transferred to Auburn this offseason and is projected to start in 2025

5. Malachi Nelson: Nelson signed with USC and transferred after one season to Boise State. When he couldn’t beat out Maddux Madsen for the starting job, Nelson transferred to UTEP. He’s competing for the starting job.

6. Jaden Rashada: Where to begin? Rashada committed to Miami and flipped to Florida. He signed a four-year, $13 million deal with a collective attached to Florida that was nullified when the booster who was supposed to underwrite it balked at the price. Rashada then went to Arizona State, where he started the first two games before an injury sidelined him until the regular-season finale. He transferred to Georgia and spent 2024 as QB3. He is back in the portal now looking for a new school. He’s also got a lawsuit pending against Florida coach Billy Napier and Florida donor Hugh Hathcock accusing them of fraud.

7. Eli Holstein: Holstein signed with Alabama and transferred after one season. He landed at Pittsburgh, where he won the starting job and threw for 2,228 yards with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 10 games last season.

8. Chris Vizzina: Vizzina signed with Clemson and is currently Cade Klubnik’s backup there.

9. Avery Johnson: Johnson signed with Kansas State. He played intermittently as a true freshman, splitting time with Will Howard. Johnson took over as the Wildcats’ starter for 2024 and threw for 2,712 yards and 25 TDs and ran for 605 yards and seven TDs.

10. Austin Novosad: Novosad signed with Oregon. He’s currently competing with Moore for the starting job in Eugene.

Now that we’ve examined the (sometimes extremely complicated) bios of these QBs, let’s try to answer Willie’s question. The one who seems closest to the ceiling is Holstein. I think after a year of starting at Pittsburgh, we have a pretty good idea of what he is.

I’d like to see a little more of Johnson, because his blazing speed offers the potential to be more dynamic than he was in his first year as Kansas State’s starter. He’s still got some room between his current level and his ceiling. Manning has started two games and enters this season with huge expectations, but we haven’t seen nearly enough to judge where he is relative to his ceiling.

I also don’t think we’ve seen enough of Iamaleava to make a judgement. Like Johnson, Iamaleava’s skill set suggests he can do more than he showed last year. In a new environment, he’ll be able to show us whether Tennessee’s offense held him back (as his camp suggests) or whether Iamaleava held back Tennessee’s offense.

The best QB in this class so far isn’t even on the above list. South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers ranked No. 18. He hasn’t scratched his ceiling yet either, which is why South Carolina fans are hoping for a College Football Playoff berth this season.

Meanwhile, the two QBs under Sellers seem quite promising. No. 19 Austin Simmons is taking over as the starter at Ole Miss this season, and No. 20 Marcel Reed has a full offseason as the starter at Texas A&M to build on a promising redshirt freshman season.

The biggest miss by the evaluators came in at No. 113. Darian Mensah signed with Tulane and took over as the Green Wave starter last season. After averaging 9.5 yards per attempt — tied for third in the nation — in his first year as a starter, Mensah transferred to Duke for big money. 

In fact, Mensah’s was one of the deals that inspired Team Nico to try to renegotiate Iamaleava’s deal at Tennessee. In the class of 2023, it always comes back to Nico.

From Don:
Curious your thoughts, does Florida winning a national championship in basketball ease pressure, turn it up or no change w/respect to Billy Napier and the upcoming football season? I know different games but it’s the same fanbase who just saw their coach rebuild and deliver.

I don’t think the Gators winning the basketball national title changes anything for Napier and company. The town is a little cheerier thanks to the basketball team, but in a few months the only conversations will be about D.J. Lagway’s shoulder and whether the Gators can build on a promising finish to last season.

Napier remains under serious pressure to produce a winner, and the schedule isn’t much easier. I don’t think he has to make the CFP to keep his job, but I do think he needs to contend for the CFP to be safe.

From @Pineapple_Musk:
Have you considered hiring Nico as an On3 analyst?

Based on the numbers we heard, I don’t think we could afford him.

A Random Ranking

In honor of Lee Corso’s retirement from College GameDay, here are the top 10 mascot heads I wish we could have seen Corso don on the show.

1. Big Red, Western Kentucky
2. Aubie, Auburn (Corso has picked Auburn, but Auburn mascot rules forbid a non-mascot from wearing the head)
3. The Fighting Okra, Delta State
4. Weezy (the boll weevil), Arkansas-Monticello
5. The Ichabod, Washburn
6. Paydirt Pete, UTEP
7. Keggy the Keg, Dartmouth
8. Cayenne (the pepper), Louisiana
9. Blaster (the burro), Colorado School of Mines
10. Monte (the bear), Montana