National media outlet uses Texas QB Arch Manning to disrespect Tennessee Vols QB Nico Iamaleava
Tennessee Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava was hit with a small dose of disrespect by 247Sports this week. On Wednesday, 247Sports ranked the top 20 quarterbacks after Week 3. Iamaleava came in at No. 10 in their rankings, which is somewhat fair considering he's only played about seven or eight quarters of football in the Vols' […]
Tennessee Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava was hit with a small dose of disrespect by 247Sports this week.
On Wednesday, 247Sports ranked the top 20 quarterbacks after Week 3.
Iamaleava came in at No. 10 in their rankings, which is somewhat fair considering he's only played about seven or eight quarters of football in the Vols' first three games of the season (due to blowouts that went in Tennessee's favor).
The disrespect comes via Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning being ranked No. 9 in their rankings.
From 247Sports: Nico Iamaleava continues to show out-of-this world arm talent and running ability. On Saturday, he looked more comfortable throwing between defenders and over the middle. That's the area where he has struggled the most. Tennessee looks dominant with him under center and we trust Josh Heupel will get the most out of him in that offense. No. 15 Oklahoma is up next and will give us an even more clear picture of how good Nico, and Tennessee, can be.
I like Arch. I think he's going to be a great quarterback at Texas and in the NFL. I'm rooting for the kid. He truly seems to be about the right stuff.
But as impressive as Manning was in three quarters of action against UTSA, he's still going to be the Longhorns' backup quarterback as soon as Quinn Ewers is healthy. And he still has zero career starts under his belt.
Iamaleava, meanwhile, is 4-0 as a starter. He's one of the main team leaders for the Vols (which means more than any stat will ever mean). Tennessee's off to a hot start in large part because of Iamaleava.
Texas would have the same record regardless of whether or not Manning was on the roster. Manning is proving that he's worthy of the expectations that come with his last name, but he hasn't done enough to be ranked above Iamaleava.
The national media is starting to come around on the Vols, but this is a reminder that Tennessee still gets the short end of the stick from the national guys.
