I think every Tennessee Vols fan knew that once UT lost a game this season, there would be folks calling for the team to replace starting quarterback Joe Milton with true freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava, the No. 1 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class. 

And that's exactly what started happening during Tennessee's tough road loss to the Florida Gators on Saturday night. 

What I didn't expect was for the topic to come up so quickly during a Vols press conference. 

But it did on Monday. 

Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle was asked on Tuesday if some of the "deficiencies" in the offense, such as pre-snap penalties, could be improved with Iamaleava under center.

Halzle quickly responded that playing Iamaleava wouldn't improve those issues because Milton is operating at a "really high level". 

Joey Halzle was asked if anything procedural wise would be different with Nico pic.twitter.com/djkiKQhXpz

— Vols Big Orange Podcast (@BigOrangePod) September 19, 2023

Nico has the potential to be a really exciting player in the SEC. He has legitimate Heisman Trophy potential and it wouldn't be a shock to see him on the stage in New York one day. 

But that doesn't mean he should be playing right now. 

For starters, Milton hasn't played bad. There have been some moments that he'd like back, and there are areas where he definitely needs to improve (making plays on the move, escaping the pocket when a play breaks down), but Milton shouldn't carry all of the blame for Tennessee's slow offensive start this season. 

Pre-snap penalties and poor offensive line play doomed Tennessee against Florida. And drops hurt the Vols in their 30-13 win against Austin Peay. 

Now, could Milton play better? 

Sure. But that's true of everyone on Tennessee's roster right now. 

However, when it comes to Milton, it's not like he's making terrible decisions or turning the ball over frequently (his interception against Florida, his first as a Vol, was because of poor protection from UT's interior offensive line). Until the offensive line play improves and the penalties are reduced, it will be hard for any quarterback to find success. 

And that's exactly why it would be foolish to bench Milton and start Iamaelava. 

If the Vols start Nico, it's not going to magically fix the offensive line issues or eliminate pre-snap penalties. And it's not going to automatically get Tennessee's wide receivers in sync. Those same issues are just as likely to be present with Nico as as they are with Milton. 

Throwing a true freshman into an offense that's in disarray wouldn't be setting Iamaleava up for success. And if he struggled, he'd be hit with an insane amount of hot takes that wouldn't be fair to the young quarterback. Tennessee wouldn't be doing Nico or the future of the program any favors by throwing a true freshman into the fire this soon. 

Another reason why it would be unwise to make a quarterback change is because of the culture that Tennessee's created under Josh Heupel — which is something that Milton has helped build. 

If Heupel benches Milton amid the struggles of the offensive line, he would risk destroying the culture he's built (and is still building). And he'd risk destroying it with no promise of a payoff this season with Nico. 

I know fans want results. They want to see the Vols' offense get fixed overnight. But it's time to accept that it might take a little while. It's also time to accept that Tennessee's offense this season might not get to the same level that it was at last season. And that's okay. It's part of building a program (rebuilds are rarely linear). There were always going to be ups and downs under Josh Heupel.

Heupel and the Vols, unfortunately, are a victim of their own success from last season. Everyone saw that 11-2 season and just assumed it would be easy to recreate it this season. 

Maybe Tennessee turns things around this year or maybe they don't. Either way, benching Milton, unless the wheels fall off and he plays terribly or he gets hurt, shouldn't be an option that's on the table right now. The Vols need to stay the course, otherwise they might be at risk of destroying everything they've built over the last two years. 

Tennessee coach confirms suspicion with Vols WR Dont’e Thornton

WR Dont’e Thornton hasn’t been very productive early this season

Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK