There's no denying that Tennessee needs as many elite recruits as it can get right now. The Vols have an exciting new head coach in Josh Heupel but they are behind the top programs in the SEC in terms of recruiting.

And one of the biggest prospects that Heupel and UT are honing in on to try to close the talent gap is five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava. He's a dynamic playmaker who is rated as the No. 3 QB in the class of 2023.

Iamaleava would obviously be an incredible asset in Heupel's speedy offense but can Tennessee actually land him?

A new computer algorithm from recruiting analysis service On3 has a prediction.

According to On3's website, its Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) is "the industry’s first algorithm and machine learning-based product to predict where athletes will attend college."

The algorithm supposedly "combines data and expert predictions on an AI platform" and "is built to learn from past results …  it has the capabilities to learn trends like a coach’s success (or lack thereof)."

It's a pretty interesting concept but where does it believe that Iamaleava will end up when he makes his college decision?

The algorithm currently predicts that the Vols have a 12.1% chance to land Iamaleava while Oregon is the leader in the clubhouse for his commitment.

The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine currently favors Oregon for the highly coveted five-star QB Nico Iamaleava.

Story: https://t.co/Zh3cEywHFw pic.twitter.com/B123gK5Eri

— Rivals (@Rivals) February 24, 2022

It's not the ideal prediction to be sure. But, the Vols are certainly in the mix for Iamaleava and perhaps they can claw their way back into a better spot with him.

I have no doubt that what Heupel is doing with Tennessee's offense is attractive to a kid like Iamaleava. But is it enough to officially get him to Knoxville? Iamaleava has indicated that he will likely commit somewhere by May, so we'll just have to wait and see.

Featured image via Nico Iamaleava on Twitter