Iowa DC Previews Tennessee, Nico Iamaleava

Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker previewed the challenges that Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava poses for his defense.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have a consensus top-5 defense across college football, and a lot of that has to do with how defensive coordinator Phil Parker has gotten everyone on the same page. Their communication in the first and second levels is fantastic, and Iowa is always aware of the challenges at hand.

However, they have a little less film on their upcoming matchup then they are used to. Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III started all twelve games for the Vols this season but opted out of the Citrus Bowl to begin preparing for the 2024 NFL Draft. True freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava will get the starting nod in his place, and Parker had a few things to say about the former blue-chip recruit.

"Well, I don’t think the offense is going to change. It’s been very similar to what they've done in the past. But I think we have about 54 snaps on him. They are running the same offense, but he is a little bit different in style. Probably runs maybe a little bit better. I’m sure they have got some other things up their sleeve of what they want to do with them. But it’s going to be a challenge for us, and we are going to have to be able to match their talent outside with the wide receivers they have and the ability to stop the run. I think that’s the most important thing that we have to do in any game. You have to make sure you stop the run and try to make them pass it, which, you know, they have a lot of explosive plays, and one of our goals is making sure that we don’t give up explosive plays. So it’s definitely a challenge in that way."

Tennessee Volunteers QB Nico Iamaleava during his official visit to Tennessee. (Photo courtesy of Nico Iamaleava)

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