Nico Iamaleava Entering the SEC as a Starter at the Perfect Time

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is becoming a starter in the SEC at the perfect time for his career.

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) and Tennessee offensive lineman John Campbell Jr. (74) after Tennessee's Orange & White spring football game at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, April 13, 2024. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is becoming a starter in the SEC at the perfect time for his career.

When taking a look at the upcoming class of quarterbacks, the NFL world may not view it as a loaded class, but the SEC is certainly stacked with talent. Some key returns include Georgia's Carson Beck, Texas's Quinn Ewers, Missouri's Brady Cook, Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart, Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Florida's Graham Mertz. All of those names have experience playing in the conference and all have relatively played well thus far, but they all will also likely be out of college football after next season. This is why Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava is becoming a starter at the perfect time.

The former five-star prospect is on the verge of entering his first season as the starter for the Tennessee Volunteers. The 2024 season will be a great opportunity for him to get lots of live reps, experience and maturation. And by the time 2025 rolls around, Iamaleava will be the biggest name in the conference and potentially in all of college football at the position, as he will be draft-eligible at that point.

That isn't to say that the SEC will be a desert when it comes to talent at the quarterback spot in 2025. Many are eager to see how Jackson Arnold does at Oklahoma this season, LaNorris Sellers is a rising name at South Carolina and DJ Lagway is itching for his turn already at Florida to name a few. But a player like Iamaleava will be very hard to ignore when he has a full season under his belt as the starter when he enters a season that will have huge implications on his draft stock.

From the outside looking in, there is a clear path to Iamaleava becoming the biggest star in the conference in a year. Obviously, that doesn't take into account what could happen in the portal for other teams by the time 2025 rolls around, but as of right now, it looks like the Tennessee quarterback is entering his first year as the starter at the perfect time for both the sake of the program and for his draft stock.

Other Tennessee News:

• Travis Smith Jr Sets Commitment Date
• George MacIntyre Accepts Invitation To Elite 11
• Josh Heupel Details Importance of 2022 Alabama Victory

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