Pro Football Focus names Nico Iamaleava as a potential breakout player in 2024
Nico Iamaleava is one of 10 college football players picked by Pro Football Focus as candidates to be breakout players during the 2024 season. Tennessee’s rising redshirt freshman starter at quarterback appeared in five games last season, accounting for 385 total yards and five total touchdowns.
Iamaleava was listed by PFF alongside LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy, Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold, Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman, Michigan cornerback Ja’Den McBurrows, Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandargriff, Georgia tight end Oscar Delp, Oregon running back Jordan James, USC quarterback Miller Moss and Ohio State safety Sonny Styles.
“You’ll start hearing Iamaleava’s name a lot over the next few months,” PFF’s Mitch Kaiser wrote. “The redshirt freshman was the No. 2 overall recruit of the 2023 class, and he has all the potential in the world. At 6-foot-6, he has a big arm and legit rushing ability.”
Josh Heupel: ‘He’s really unique and (I’m) really excited about what he has done up until this point’
Iamaleava was a five-star prospect and the No. 1 player in the country in the On3 ratings for the 2023 recruiting class out of Long Beach, California. He was ranked No. 6 overall in the On3 Industry Ranking, coming in as the No. 3 quarterback in the class and the No. 1 player in the state of California.
“As a young guy,” Tennessee Football coach Josh Heupel said in May, “with how high profile he was in recruiting, his ability to enter into our building, be one of the guys, garner respect from the guys around him, be a magnet, draw people to him.”
“He’s really unique,” Heupel added, “and (I’m) really excited about what he has done up until this point.”
In his five games as a freshman last season, Iamaleava completed 28 of 45 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns and ran 20 times for 71 yards and had three rushing touchdowns in the Citrus Bowl in over Iowa.
Nico Iamaleava in first career start: 178 total yards, 4 total TDs
Iamaleava made his first career start in the New Year’s Day bowl game in Orlando, capping his freshman season at Tennessee with a 35-0 win the Hawkeyes.
He accounted for four total touchdowns in the win, completing 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards and one passing touchdown and running 15 times for 27 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Iamaleava against Iowa posted season-high numbers in PFF’s offensive grade (84.9), pass grade (85.0) and run grade (66.7).
“We saw a glimpse of the Nico era in Tennessee’s bowl game against Iowa,” Kaiser wrote, “and it was arguably the best the Vols offense looked all season despite playing against one of the nation’s top defenses.
“In that game, Iamaleava recorded three touchdowns and two big-time throws to earn an 85.0 passing grade.”
