5-star QB Nico Iamaleava enrolling early at Tennessee

Long Beach (Calif.) Warren five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava is kicking off his senior season on Saturday night against Kamehameha Kapalama (Hi.) in the Aloha State. He will soon be heading to the Volunteer State. Following his final high school campaign, Iamaleava will be enrolling early at Tennessee.

The 6-foot-5.5, 195 pound signal-caller told John W. Davis yesterday that he will be heading to Knoxville after the season. He added that he is looking forward to the opportunity.

“Yessir, I’m graduating early,” Iamaleava told Davis. “I’ma get up there early and you know, get ready for the season.”

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Iamaleava is the No. 10 overall prospect and the No. 4 quarterback in the 2023 On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. On3 rates him even higher as the No. 2 overall prospect and No. 2 quarterback in the 2023 On300.

The five-star recruit added that he is looking forward to following the Volunteers this season. Additionally, Iamaleava is eyeing his arrival in Knoxville.

“I’m excited, man,” Iamaleava said. “What they’re building over there with head coach (Josh) Heupel, quarterbacks coach Joey (Halzle), all the coaches, (offensive coordinator and tight ends) coach (Alex) Golesh. The future is bright and I think they’re gonna have a breakout year, for sure.”

Iamaleava is the leader of the Volunteers’ 2023 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 13 in the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings and No. 5 in the SEC. Per the On300, the only player ranked ahead of Iamaleava is New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman Five-Star Plus+ quarterback and Texas commit Arch Manning.

Nico Iamaleava On3 Scouting Summary

The following is the On3 Scouting Summary for Nico Iamaleava:

“High-upside signal caller who may have the best physical tools among quarterbacks in the 2023 cycle. Has one of the stronger arms in the cycle, generating considerable velocity on his throws in camp settings. Tall with a slender build with room to fill out. Boasts a quick, clean throwing motion despite his longer arms. A bouncy, fluid mover who doubles as a top volleyball player. Still developing in terms of some technical aspects of the game. Plays in a high school offense that is heavily skewed towards quick passes and screens. Can continue to improve his accuracy on downfield passes. Has done a very good job taking care of the football with just two interceptions in his first two varsity seasons.”

Iamaleava has an On3 NIL Valuation of $1M. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.