Nico Iamaleava couldn’t have asked for a better way to officially kick off his career with the Tennessee Volunteers.
With this year’s starter, Joe Milton III, sitting out the Citrus Bowl after declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft, Iamaleava was thrust into the spotlight as a true freshman.
A five-star quarterback recruit, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel trusted Iamaleava with the bowl game start against a generally very good Iowa defense — and the true freshman delivered and more.
He was the superstar of Tennessee’s 35-0 win.
Iamaleava gashed Iowa with his legs, running 15 times for 27 yards with three touchdowns. He was unstoppable in the red zone thanks to his ability to take off and run.
For good measure, he completed 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown — finishing with four touchdowns total.
That’s one heck of a first start for a freshman quarterback, and he was so good that he caught the eye of former Tennessee star quarterback Hendon Hooker.
While he wasn’t Peyton Manning, Hooker was a star for the Vols in two seasons, throwing for 6,060 yards and 58 touchdowns with just five interceptions, while also rushing for 1,050 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.
Hooker was great for Tennessee, and he (like the rest of us) already sees greatness in Iamaleava.
