Pair of Tennessee Volunteers Make ESPN's Top 100 Players in College Football

Two Tennessee Volunteer football players made ESPN's top 100 players in college football list ahead of the season.

Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava (8) during Tennessee football's fall practice, in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday, August 3, 2024. / Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Two Tennessee Volunteer football players made ESPN's top 100 players in college football list ahead of the season.

The Tennessee Volunteers have a lot of excitement around their program entering the 2024 college football season. Not only do the Volunteers have the potential to make a push at a playoff spot this season, but the recruiting job by head coach Josh Heupel and his staff as of late has fans raving about the future of the program. Focusing more on this season though, the Volunteers have some of the sport's best players on their roster, and that showed on ESPN's top 100 players list.

Both quarterback Nico Iamaleava and edge rusher James Pearce Jr. made the list. Not only that, but Pearce Jr. was ranked as the best player in college football by the major news outlet and Iamaleava making the cut with only one start to his name in the Citrus Bowl last season shows how much people believe in his abilities. Here is what ESPN had to say about both Iamaleava and Pearce Jr:

QB, Nico Iamaleava, No. 92

"A top-25 recruit in 2023, Iamaleava gave us a taste of what he's capable of in 2023, completing 28 of 45 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns, scrambling nine times for 72 yards and rushing for three bowl TDs versus Iowa. He looks like the total package."

EDGE, James Pearce Jr., No. 1

"Entering his third season at Tennessee, the 6-5, 243-pound Pearce is the top pass rusher in the country despite having started only three career games. He's projected as a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL draft and has 16.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in his first two seasons. Pearce was a first-team All-SEC selection last season by both the AP and coaches after ranking fifth nationally with 38 total pressures."

Neither Iamaeleava nor Pearce Jr. was ranked last year on ESPN's top 100 players list, so the Tennessee defender had the biggest jump out of everyone in college football. If he plays up to that standard this season, it will only increase the Volunteers' chances of making the playoff, especially if Iamaleava matches that by playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the sport.

Other Tennessee News:

• Tony Vitello Turnaround Nothing Short of Brilliant for Tennessee Baseball
• Jaylen Williams Cuts Recruitment to Four Schools
• Tennessee Vols Football Could Make Playoff According to CFB Data Model

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