College Football Analyst Pins Nico Iamaleava as Surprise Heisman Winner

College football analyst Greg McElroy has pinned Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava as a surprise Heisman Trophy winner this season.

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) before the start of the Citrus Bowl NCAA College football game on Monday, January 1, 2024 in Orlando, Fla. / Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY

College football analyst Greg McElroy has pinned Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava as a surprise Heisman Trophy winner this season.

All eyes are on Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava this season as he prepares to be the full-time starter for the first time in his young college career. The former five-star prospect earned the starting job in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa after Joe Milton departed for the NFL. Many expect Iamaleava to have a successful season, but one college football analyst is higher on him than most.

College football analyst Greg McElroy has been very adamant that he thinks Tennessee will be one of the better football teams. And for those reasons, he also thinks Iamaleava is going to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country this season. So much so, that he thinks the Volunteer could be a surprise Heisman Trophy winner in 2024. He had this to say on SEC Network when the group of analysts picked their sleeper Heisman contenders:

"I like Nico Iamaleava. I think Tennessee is a top-10 team. I know I'm probably a little higher on them than most. Other people are still in 'wait and see mode' which I totally support and I totally get that. I just think if Tennessee is going to be as good as I anticipate them being, that means that he's gonna have a ridiculous year."

Winning the Heisman in your first year starting would be a massive feat for Iamaleava and it likely means Tennessee would be in the college football playoff for the first time in program history.

The Volunteers don't necessarily need Iamaleava to be a Heisman contender in order for them to be successful this season, but they do need him to play well, and most media pundits don't expect that to be a problem this season.

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