Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava is a Tier 4 quarterback entering his redshirt freshman season according to ESPN, which ranked all 134 QB situations in college football. There were 20 tiers in total, with Iamaleava falling in the “young and restless” group with eight other quarterbacks.
The other Tier 4 QBs included Kansas State’s Avery Johnson, Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola, Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold and USC’s Miller Moss.
“Someone in this group is going to make an enormous mark on the 2024 season,” ESPN’s David Hale wrote. “There’s just too much talent. But Johnson, Raiola, Arnold, Iamaleava and Moss combine for 23 stars on the recruiting trail and four starts on the actual field.
“By year’s end, we won’t be surprised if there are a couple Tier 1 QBs in this group and, perhaps, a couple Tier 18 guys, too.”
Nico Iamaleava accounted for four TDs in first career start in Citrus Bowl win
ESPN stressed the importance of a talent like Iamaleava paired with Josh Heupel’s explosive, efficient offensive numbers dating back to his time as a coordinator.
“As an FBS offensive coordinator or head coach (since 2011), Josh Heupel’s offenses have averaged 3,551 passing yards and 29 passing touchdowns a year,” Hale wrote. “In his six seasons as a head coach at UCF and Tennessee, his QBs have thrown a total of 30 interceptions.
“For comparison, Georgia Southern threw 20 last year. Overall as a head coach, his QBs have a 6.3-to-1 TD:INT rate. That’s three times better than the FBS average, and only Alabama as a team has posted a better rate over that span (6.44).”
Iamaleava appeared in five games during his freshman season, completing 28 of 45 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns. He ran 20 times for 71 yards and had the three rushing touchdowns in the bowl win.
Nico Iamaleava as a recruit: Five-star QB, No. 1 overall player in 2023
He made his first career start on New Year’s Day, capping his freshman season at Tennessee with a 35-0 win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
Iamaleava accounted for four total touchdowns in the win, completing 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards and one passing touchdown and running 15 times for 27 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
He was a five-star prospect and the No. 1 player in the country in the On3 ratings for the 2023 recruiting class out of Long Beach, California. He was ranked No. 6 overall in the On3 Industry Ranking, coming in as the No. 3 quarterback in the class and the No. 1 player in the state of California.
“Bowl opt-outs stink,” Hale wrote, “but if there’s a silver lining to last year’s postseason exodus, it was that we got a sneak peek at this group. Johnson, Arnold, Iamaleava and Moss all got a start in their respective bowl games, and the performances offered ample reason for optimism.
“The trio combined for 83.7 Total QBR, 1,211 total yards, 15 touchdowns and 5 turnovers. And they all played against top-20 opponents.”
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