National media outlet makes pessimistic prediction for Tennessee Vols QB Nico Iamaleava in 2025
Tennessee Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava led his team to an appearance in the College Football Playoff in 2024 as a redshirt freshman, but that's not enough to earn any respect from 247Sports. On Wednesday, 247Sports projected who they think the top 10 quarterbacks in college football in 2025 will be. And Iamaleava, somehow, didn't crack […]
Tennessee Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava led his team to an appearance in the College Football Playoff in 2024 as a redshirt freshman, but that's not enough to earn any respect from 247Sports.
On Wednesday, 247Sports projected who they think the top 10 quarterbacks in college football in 2025 will be.
And Iamaleava, somehow, didn't crack their top 10.
What's even wilder is that quarterbacks that Iamaleava beat head to head in 2024 — Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia and Auburn's Jackson Arnold (Arnold was at Oklahoma in 2024) — made their top 10.
Bizarre.
The amount of disrespect that Iamaleava is receiving this offseason is unlike anything I've ever seen before.
The California native beat Alabama and Florida in his first year as a starter. He led the Vols to an emotional road win against Oklahoma. Combine those wins with the fact that Tennessee made its first ever appearance in the College Football Playoff and I'd say Iamaleava's first season as a collegiate starter was a smashing success. (Did we mention that Iamaleava only threw five interceptions in 13 starts?)
Iamaleava accounted for 2,974 yards and 22 total touchdowns in his first year as a starter in the SEC and folks are acting like he underperformed (let's not forget to point out that Tennessee's offensive line — specifically at the tackle positions — struggled to protect Iamaleava at times….and the Vols' wide receivers struggled at times throughout the season).
It's truly unbelievable.
Meanwhile, Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning is projected by 247Sports to be the third best quarterback in 2025 despite the fact that he only has 95 pass attempts in his first two years in college (and that's not shade at Arch — I think he's going to be an elite player — it's just evidence of the media's weird Nico narrative).
Iamaleava could've been better at times in 2024, but he wasn't supposed to be a finished product as a redshirt freshman. We'll continue to see the young quarterback grow and he'll get closer to reaching his full potential next fall on Rocky Top.
