Nico Iamaleava Cleared To Play For Tennessee Football vs. Georgia

The Tennessee Volunteers will have Nico Iamaleava in the lineup when they face Georgia tomorrow night in Athens.

Tanner Johnson | 2 Hours Ago

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) walks off the field after the win over Kentucky after an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Knoxville, Tenn. / Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Tennessee Volunteers

The Tennessee Volunteers will have Nico Iamaleava in the lineup when they face Georgia tomorrow night in Athens.

Tennessee starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava will return to the lineup for Tennessee football when they face Georgia on Saturday night.

Iamaleava had been questionable all week as he went through concussion protocol after a hit he took in the first half against Mississippi State. ESPN's Chris Low first broke the news of Iamaleava's return to the field.

Nico Iamaleava is set to return to the lineup as @Vol_Football’s starting QB vs. Georgia on Saturday night, sources tell ESPN. Iamaleava practiced this week, including team periods, after suffering a blow to the head and missing the 2nd half last week in the Miss. State win.
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) November 16, 2024

Low's report also added that Iamaleava successfully passed all the concussion protocols and thus was cleared by the medical team to play against the Bulldogs. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel was confident all week that Iamaleava would be able to play after seeing him practice during the week. Ultimately, it was in the hands of the medical team to decide if Iamaleva would be able to play.

Having Iamaleava back for the Georgia game is a huge development for Tennessee. A win over the Bulldogs would put Tennessee in the driver's seat to play for the SEC Championship. It would also put the Volunteers one step closer to making the College Football Playoff.