Earlier this week, we noted that one national recruiting analyst feels like the Tennessee Vols are a legitimate threat to land 2023 five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

Iamaleava, 6-foot-5/195 lbs from Downey, CA, is ranked in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 4 quarterback in the country. He's also rated as the No. 16 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class.

Pretty much all of the top programs in the nation are going hard after Iamaleava.

Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Oregon appear to be the main contenders for now.

Iamaleava spoke to Rivals.com this week about his recruitment and he had some positive things to say about the Vols.

“I love Tennessee," said Iamaleava. "Tennessee is definitely one of the top schools. I want to go where I’m loved and Tennessee fans are great. You see a lot of orange on social media."

"I love Knoxville and that whole experience when I took that trip was a great experience for me," added Iamaleava.

Iamaleava is expected to visit Tennessee again in March.

Why the Tennessee Vols could be the favorites to land Nico Iamaleava

Iamaleava is expected to make his decision in May. And that's great news for the Vols.

Here's why:

Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss are each heavily pursuing five-star quarterback Arch Manning, the top-rated player in the 2023 recruiting class.

Despite his last name, the Volunteers aren't in the mix for Manning. They kicked the tires there, but they know Arch isn't landing in Knoxville.

Manning is reportedly going to take some visits in the fall. That seems to indicate that he won't be committing nearly as early as Iamaleava.

Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss almost certainly wouldn't take a commitment from Iamaleava with Manning still uncommitted. They're likely willing to swing and miss at Manning, knowing they could probably find a quarterback in the NCAA transfer portal if needed.

That bodes well for the Vols. Iamaleava wants to go where he's wanted. And Tennessee is clearly showing him that he's badly wanted on Rocky Top. I like the way this is trending for the Volunteers.

There's still a lot of work to be done, and this is far from a sure thing, but I think Tennessee is in a pretty good position to land one of the top quarterbacks in the nation during the 2023 recruiting cycle.

Featured image via Rivals.com