The biggest 'football reason' that 5-star QB Nico Iamaleava could commit to Tennessee Vols
The Tennessee Vols are making a strong push for 2023 five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, the No. 3 overall rated recruit in the nation. Iamaleava took a highly publicized visit to Knoxville this past weekend and by all accounts, it went incredibly well. For now, the Vols look like they're in good shape in this recruiting […]
The Tennessee Vols are making a strong push for 2023 five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, the No. 3 overall rated recruit in the nation.
Iamaleava took a highly publicized visit to Knoxville this past weekend and by all accounts, it went incredibly well.
For now, the Vols look like they're in good shape in this recruiting battle. Some might even call Tennessee the leader for Nico. But I think that's a bit premature as he still plans to visit other programs this spring (before committing, which is expected to be in May).
Josh Heupel and the UT staff have done a good job of building a great relationship with Iamaleava. And the fan base has shown the elite 2023 quarterback that he's badly wanted on Rocky Top.
All of that is important. But ultimately, this is about football and what happens on the field.
And that's where I think the Vols have a really big advantage in this recruiting battle.
We all know about Tennessee's high-scoring offense. That should definitely be attractive to Iamaleava. Current Vols starting quarterback Hendon Hooker was a mostly unknown player at Virginia Tech before landing in Heupel's system. After just one year playing under Heupel, Hooker was popping up on NFL Draft draft boards (fortunately for Tennessee, he decided to stick around at UT for one more season).
Heupel's offense is going to give Nico a chance to put up huge numbers, which will eventually lead to the NFL.
And here's the best part — if Nico lands at Tennessee, he'll play in the same offense for the duration of his career.
As long as Heupel is the head coach at Tennessee, the offensive system will be the same (mostly the same, there will be normal year-to-year adjustments). Nico doesn't have to worry about an offensive coordinator leaving and having to learn a brand new offense. That would be a concern at some of the other programs that are pursuing the California native.
Oregon, specifically, could go through plenty of offensive changes over the next several years, thanks to their decision to hire Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning to replace Mario Cristobal as the program's head coach. Kenny Dillingham was hired by Lanning as Oregon's offensive coordinator. Dillingham served as Florida State's offensive coordinator in 2021 and he led the Seminoles to the No. 74 ranked scoring offense in the nation (a much different story than the Vols' No. 7 scoring offense in the nation in 2021).
Playing in multiple offenses in college can be detrimental to a quarterback's career (just ask former UT/Washington State quarterback Jarrett Guarantano). Having to learn a new playbook and get adjusted to new play-callers every year can be frustrating. And unless the head coach is running the offense, that's going to be the case for a quarterback at most colleges.
If an offensive coordinator does a great job, he'll likely land a head coaching job, NFL job, or get scooped up by another program. Great offensive coordinators don't stick around for four or five years anymore.
On the flip side, if an offensive coordinator struggles one year, he'll likely be out the door. There's so much pressure to win that coaches aren't willing to give a play-caller a couple of years to establish their system.
Nico would have none of those worries at Tennessee. And I think that's a big reason why the Vols are trending in his recruitment as we get closer to his decision (which is expected to happen in May).
Featured image via Twitter
