Nico Iamaleava Named SEC Freshman of the Week Again

It has been a great start to the season for Nico and he is starting to stack up some conference honors.

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) looks to pass at the NCAA College football game between Tennessee and NC State on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 in Charlotte, NC. / Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

After another impressive performance to begin his redshirt freshman season, Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava has once again been named SEC Freshman of the Week.

This time, the award comes after his impressive 51-10 win over NC State in which he threw for 211 yards on 16-of-23 passes with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 65 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.

So far, Iamaleava has only started three games at Tennessee. This is the second time he has beaten the No. 24 team in the country, the first being Iowa in the Citrus Bowl in January. While his performance against the Wolfpack was not perfect, Tennessee has to be pleased with the way that Iamaleava is playing so far in his first season as the full-time starter. The Vols are 2-0 and are ranked seventh in the latest edition of the AP Poll. Up seven spots from the previous week.

After the first game of the season against UT Chattanooga, Iamaleava was named the Co-SEC Player of the Week along with Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams. Iamaleava is also the first SEC player to be named Freshman of the Week for the first two weeks of the season since Alabama’s Terry Grant in 2007.

So far in Iamaleava's three starts, Tennessee has outscored its opponents 155-13. That is a staggering number that is only likely to climb this week as the Vols welcome Kent State to Neyland Stadium. The Golden Flashes are one of the worst teams in the FBS and are coming off of a loss to FCS opponent Saint Francis.

According to Draft Kings, Tennessee opened as a 48-point favorite over the Golden Flashes, as the Vols look to improve to 3-0.

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Other Tennessee News:

• Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel Previews Matchup vs NC State
• Tennessee Volunteers Look Like True College Football Contenders
• Josh Heupel Updates Tennessee Injury Report - Rickey Gibson Available vs NC State

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