ESPN Sets Expectations For Nico Iamaleava
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava has been one of the most-discussed players of the offseason. Quarterback Hendon Hooker set the bar for what a signal caller can accomplish at the University of Tennessee under head coach Josh Heupel; many seem to expect that Iamaleava could clear that bar.
ESPN went through the exercise of identifying the players with the most to prove in the next college football season. Iamaleava was one of the notables on the list, one that he's become accustomed to this offseason. Everyone is curious how the redshirt freshman will handle the spotlight and responsibility of being a starting quarterback over the course of a full season. He put together an encouraging start to his career against the Iowa Hawkeyes, but we only have a one-game sample size to date.
"The good news for Iamaleava is that he certainly appears to have all the tools to be a difference-maker at quarterback and accounted for four touchdowns in his first start last season in Tennessee's 35-0 victory over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. But from the time Iamaleava signed with the Vols, he's been under a bright spotlight -- from the reported $8 million NIL deal he signed, to being hailed as the quarterback that would vault the Vols back into championship contention, to being at the center of the recent NCAA investigation into Tennessee's program. No player since Peyton Manning has walked onto Tennessee's campus with this much pressure to perform at an elite level." - ESPN on Nico Iamaleava
Tennessee Volunteers QB Nico Iamaleava during his official visit to Tennessee. (Photo courtesy of Nico Iamaleava)
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