Following Tennessee’s victory over Iowa, NFL fans saw Nico Iamaleava as the next big quarterback.
The next big thing in college football has officially arrived: Nico Iamaleava, a true freshman quarterback from Tennessee, celebrated his coming-out party in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Monday.
Iamaleava scored four touchdowns in his first career start, helping the No. 21 Vols defeat the No. 17 Iowa Hawkeyes 35-0. In the win, he completed 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown while committing no turnovers. He also scored three touchdowns on the ground.
According to 247Sports’ composite, Iamaleava was a 5-star recruit and the No. 2 quarterback in the class of 2023. He has already demonstrated, at the age of eighteen, that he possesses maturity far beyond his years by playing a spotless game against an Iowa defense that was fifth in the country with 274.8 yards allowed per game and third in the country with opponents averaging 13.2 points. He will be Tennessee’s quarterback of the future, and the program should feel secure in that decision.
Social media users were unable to contain their excitement following Iamaleava’s breakthrough performance on Monday:
Social media users were unable to contain their excitement following Iamaleava’s breakthrough performance on Monday:
According to 247Sports’ composite, Iamaleava was a 5-star recruit and the No. 2 quarterback in the class of 2023. He has already demonstrated, at the age of eighteen, that he possesses maturity far beyond his years by playing a spotless game against an Iowa defense that was fifth in the country with 274.8 yards allowed per game and third in the country with opponents averaging 13.2 points. He will be Tennessee’s quarterback of the future, and the program should feel secure in that decision.
