Volunteer Country

SEC Coaches Rave Anonymously About Nico Iamaleava and Tennessee Football

Brooks Austin

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) during Tennessee's Orange & White spring football game at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, April 13, 2024.
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) during Tennessee's Orange & White spring football game at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, April 13, 2024. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA

“That staff thinks Nico [Iamaleava] will be the best quarterback they’ve had in that system, and when they have a QB they’re confident in, they’re as good as anyone on that side of the football."

The best QB to have played in the Josh Heupel system sounds like a promising future for the Tennessee Volunteers. That's what one anonymous college football coach told Athlon Sports in their latest article. The Volunteers are entering their fourth season under Josh Heupel and there's a potential for them to make their first college football playoff with it expanding to 12 teams in 2024.

Tennessee lost quiet a bit from a year ago and even more from two seasons ago, especially at the wide receiver position. What was one of the deeper units on the roster has quickly become dependent on new faces, something that could come back to bite Tennessee if those new faces don't step up.
"The question is going to be what they put around him this season; they don’t have an elite wideout or obvious target, but the Tulane transfer [Chris Brazzell II] is pretty decent."

College football can be pretty simple, if you have a special quarterback, there's a chance you could have a special season. And SEC Coaches seem to think Nico Iamaleava could wind up being special for the Vols:
"Put them right outside of the playoff contenders for now, but the quarterback could be really special.”

One of the most frustrating parts about the 2023 Tennessee performance was the seemingly wasting of a legitimate SEC Defense. The Vols finished Top-25 in points allowed per game a year ago. Now, they are presumed to take a step back in 2024, at least according to one SEC Coach:
"Defensively, they’re not at the level of the national title-caliber programs in this league, but they’re better than when Josh [Heupel] took over. The floor is higher here, but they have question marks in the secondary."

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Brooks Austin
BROOKS AUSTIN