Nico Iamaleava is set to be the starting quarterback for the Tennessee Volunteers next season and the expectations are high.
In March of 2022, Iamaleava committed to play college football at the University of Tennessee. Coming out of Long Beach, California, Iamaleava was a five-star recruit who had his pick of the draw when it came to choosing where to go play college football.
While playing quarterback for Warren High school, he threw for 3,248 yards and 50 touchdowns while only throwing two interceptions over his two-year varsity career. He averaged a 123.8 quarterback rating while in high school. There is no doubt that Iamaleava deserved the five-star rating he had as a recruit but is he built to carry a Power five conference college football program to success?
Iamaleava’s first collegiate start for Tennessee
In the 2023 season, Iamaleava sat behind starting quarterback Joe Milton III, who led the Vols to an 8-4 season. After the season, they were granted the opportunity to play in the Citrus Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes, who had one of the best defenses in college football in the 2023 season.
Before the Vols played in the Citrus Bowl, quarterback Joe Milton declared for the 2024 NFL Draft and opted out of the bowl game, setting the way for Nico to get his first collegiate start.
He isn’t just liked by the media and Vols fans, even his teammates were sending him high praise before the Vols played in the Citrus Bowl.
Runningback Dylan Sampson, who is set to be Tennessee’s starting runningback in 2024, had great things to say about his confidence in Iamaleava before the Citrus bowl.
“We all have great confidence in Nico. Joe still being around (and) helping— he’s a true leader. But I think Nico is ready and everybody has full faith and confidence in him and it’s just time to let him go. I’ll be alongside him helping him out but it’ll be fun.”
In the Citrus Bowl, Iamaleava showed fans of the Tennessee Volunteers that there are many things to be excited about with him at the helm.
Iamaleava performed incredibly for the Vols in their bowl game, going 12 of 19 with one touchdown pass and no interceptions while running for 27 yards and three touchdowns. He led the Vols to a 35-0 rout of the Hawkeyes, winning the Citrus Bowl. After the game, he was named the MVP of the Citrus Bowl.
Even just having one start under his belt, he is already being discussed as possibly being one of the best quarterbacks to ever play at the University of Tennessee.
Nico Iamaleava had one of the best @PFF graded games of the season in the Citrus Bowl for a Tennessee starting QB. Grades & where it ranks on the season:
Overall Grade: 82.9 (3rd)
Passing Grade: 82.4 (3rd)
Rushing Grade: 66.7 (6th)
Big Time Throws: 2 (2nd)
Adjust Depth of… pic.twitter.com/AmAqBfImZS— Jordan Moore (@jordanmoore_21) January 2, 2024
Tennessee history fueling young quarterback
Legendary quarterbacks have played at Tennessee, with Peyton Manning being the most notable.
It is a lot of pressure for a new quarterback to be under but it seems to be that Iamaleava is built for the moment.
Iamaleava is set to start the 2024 season as the starting quarterback for the Vols and his confidence is high with what he said after the Vols won the Citrus bowl after the 2023 season.
Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava wins the Citrus Bowl MVP belt
What’s next?
“We’re trying to win a National Championship” -Iamaleava pic.twitter.com/T2zpJeuOxf
— Ric Butler (@Ric_Butler) January 1, 2024
Expectations for Iamaleava will continue to rise after fans saw how we performed in what will go down as one of the best starts for a young quarterback. Tennessee has a strong and reliable quarterback in Iamaleava and 2024 will tell us if he’s truly built for success. Will he be able to lead Tennessee to their first national championship since 1998?
Time will tell.
For more sports articles on the Vols and Titans, check out @joshua_shoop on X.
