Greg McElroy details what Nico Iamaleava winning the Heisman would mean for Tennessee in 2024

There are few more interesting players as far as what they could be this year than Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava. If he really becomes what many expect or even exceeds that, though, it might be what brings the Volunteers back to national success.

Greg McElroy looked at several what-if scenarios for this season during an episode of ‘Always College Football’. That included one if Iamaleava were to compete for The Heisman Trophy. He looked at that case in the context of how the quarterback spot, and, therefore, the offense, fell off last fall in going from Hendon Hooker to Joe Milton.

“We all know what went down last year. The transition in 2022 from Hendon Hooker to Joe Milton wasn’t ideal, right,” said McElroy. “I mean they were 11-2 a couple years ago, finished in the top-six. Last year just wasn’t great – lost four games in the regular season, were 17th.

“If you look at where they struggled last year, it was pretty much all offensively. They were 526 yards a game offensively in 2022. That was No. 1 in the FBS. Last year, they fell all the way to 19th by averaging just 448 yards a game. Almost all of that drop from 526 to 448 was in the passing game. They fell from 326 yards a game in ’22, which was fifth in the FBS, to 243 yards per game last year, which was 51st. (Tennessee) just didn’t manufacture enough big plays last year. They had 65 plays that went 25-plus yards in 2022. That was the second-most in the sport. Last year, they had just 39 plays that went 25-plus. That was right around average in the FBS.”

Now, with Milton moving on, Iamaleava is left as the exciting young prospect at QB1.

As a 19-year-old redshirt freshman that was a former five-star, Iamaleava has all the talent and pedigree to be a quality college player. However, if he’s even better than that by competing for the sport’s biggest award in his first season, McElroy believes the Vols go from playoff hopeful to championship contender considering what that would mean for them offensively.

“Nico Iamalavea coming in as a top recruit, five-star, very gifted,” said McElroy. “I think, if he’s a Heisman finalist? Not only is Tennessee in the playoff but Tennessee is a legitimate national championship contender.

“This offense? They learned last year to get by. They did a great job in creating avenues in the run game, the run game got better. Nico, I think, is a pretty capable weapon with his own legs. They’re still going to be able to put a lot of strain on you, run it with their excellent back but they also now have a quarterback that has some real quick-twitch speed. Like, Joe Milton wasn’t a bad runner but quick-twitch speed is something he kind of lacked. Nico doesn’t lack that.”

The bar is very high for Iamaleava as he becomes the starter on Rocky Top. Still, reaching that or higher would be what could make the difference for Tennessee in regards to the College Football Playoff.

“I think that, if Nico is capable of playing to the top of the sport at his position, top-three, top-four quarterbacks in the country? Tennessee is going to be in a great position to win the national championship,” said McElroy. “It’s going to be asking a lot for a guy that has only played one game but crazier things have happened. Especially with a ceiling like that, it wouldn’t shock me if Nico is every bit as advertised.”