Tennessee Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleva has come to Knoxville this spring looking to step up and fulfill the expectations placed on him by head coach Josh Heupel.
Nico Iamaleava Gets Ready to Lead the Vols in 2025
JD PicKell shared the news about Iamaleava on the On3 YouTube channel on April 1, breaking down his activities with a Tennessee Spring Intel spot.
PicKell said, “Can you you take the reins a bit more when it comes to being that vocal presence and kind of taking over as your team being the guy at Tennessee”?
Iamaleava has also been working out and adding weight by hitting the weight room, something PicKell says typically happens in the spring with players.
Iamaleva was also involved in a lawsuit in which Tennessee settled with the NCAA over NIL payments. With the two million-dollar-a-year contract, the expectations were and will be that much higher for Iamaleva.
Arch Manning, who will lead the Texas offense this year, is seen as a rival for Iamaleva, and that raises expectations as well.
Iamaleva’s Concussion Protocol Stint Casts Doubt On His Abilities
Iamaleva was in concussion protocol last season and left the game against Mississippi State with what was called an upper-body injury. The Vols did win that game 33-14.
He was cleared to play the following week against the Georgia Bulldogs. The Vols lost that game 31-17 with Iamaleava 20-33 with 167 yards against Carson Beck’s 25-40 for 347 yards and two touchdowns.
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With Gaston Moore in the transfer portal for the Vols, Heupel has big plans for Iamaleava, and as PicKell shared, “Some intel that I got around Nico, though, in terms of how they could use him in 2025—I was told there may be a chance they do a little bit more quarterback design run game with him.”
PicKell also added that he thinks Iamaleava has a lot of juice left in his game, but that “we will see if he can elevate his game to meet Heisman Trophy expectations and the belief that he could be the next Peyton Manning.”
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