NCAA Latest Update: SEC Coaches Issues a Shocking Update on Tennessee football’s Nico Iamaleava

Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee football’s redshirt freshman quarterback, is preparing for his highly anticipated debut as the team’s starting quarterback. With top-25 games against North Carolina State and Oklahoma coming up early in the season, he’ll have to learn on the fly.

That is not deterring the hype. Even several SEC coaches believe Nico has the potential to lead the Vols. An unidentified SEC football coach commended Nico and the Tennessee coaching staff, saying that if he’s the genuine deal, Tennessee may be as good as anyone in the country this season.

“That staff thinks Nico [Iamaleava] will be the best quarterback they’ve had in that system,” an anonymous SEC coach stated. “And when they have a quarterback they believe in, they are as good as anyone on that football team. What they put around him this season will be the key question. They don’t have a top wideout or a clear target. But the Tulane transfer (Chris Brazzell) is quite good.”

This was the first of two statements from unnamed SEC coaches. Heupel had to delve into the portal to add quality around Nico, but the Vols’ receiving depth appears to be adequate. Tennessee added skill players and offensive linemen to give Nico plenty of support in his debut year.

The second critique centred on Tennessee’s defence and its opposing team’s weaponry. Heupel has significantly improved the defence, and this anonymous SEC coach feels the Vols might be College Football Playoff contenders if everything goes well.

“Defensively, they’re not on par with the national title-winning clubs in our conference, but they’re better than when Josh (Heupel) took over. The floor is higher here, but there are question marks in the secondary. For the time being, they are outside of the postseason picture, but the quarterback has the potential to be really great.

Tennessee will be a marginal College Football Playoff team entering the 2024 season. The Vols will be tested early against North Carolina State, and we shall see how Nico and the Vols fare before facing SEC competition.