Tennessee names Nico Iamaleava starting quarterback

Not very surprisingly, Nico Iamaleava has officially named Tennessee‘s starting quarterback ahead of his redshirt freshman season with the Vols following the release of the team’s depth chart. Seemingly tabbed as the quarterback of the future for the program in December of 2022 when he enrolled early to Tennessee and participated in Orange Bowl practices with the team behind Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton.

Iamaleava played high school football at Warren in Long Beach (CA) where he was a five-star prospect. Ranked the No. 6 overall recruit and the No. 3 quarterback in the 2023 cycle, according to On3’s Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

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As a true freshman Iamaleava appeared in four regular-season games for the Volunteers where he completed 16 of his 26 pass attempts for 163 yards and a touchdown. But in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl he made his first career start against No. 17-ranked Iowa and showed why he was such a highly touted prospect out of high school.

Iamaleava was named the Citrus Bowl MVP after throwing for 151 yards and a touchdown along with rushing for 27 yards and three scores on the ground. Making a splash and leading Tennessee to a dominant 35-0 win to secure their ninth win of the 2023 season. Also getting some valuable experience under his belt that head coach Josh Heupel believes has been crucial in his development.

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“Hugely, vitally important to the continued growth of him this offseason,” Heupel told On3’s Andy Staples at SEC Media Days. “The experience of knowing you’re going to be the guy, completely different than just getting thrown into the game. Owning the preparation from the video, to the practice field, the time on task with the other 10 guys, then creating the urgency that you need in the offseason, and he’s had a great offseason.”

Along with growing on the field and as a leader, Iamaleava has grown physically. Adding some weight to his 6-foot-6 frame as he now enters the 2024 season at 215 pounds after weighing 190 pounds as a high school prospect. Which will surely help in his durability ahead of his first full season as a starter at the college level in the SEC.

Iamaleava will make his second career start and his first as a full-time starter on August 31, with Tennessee hosting Chattanooga at 12:45 p.m. ET in a matchup airing on SEC Network.