By Caleb Jarreau
Nico Iamaleava suffered his first loss of his senior season. That’s manageable. Things could have been much worse for the five-star prospect, who has been committed to Tennessee since March.
Iamaleava and Warren (Downey, Calif.) High School lost 16-13 in a non-division matchup against Gardena Serra (Calif) High School. Shortly before halftime, Iamaleava was hit late after sliding on a quarterback scramble. Warren fans – and Tennessee fans alike – held their breath at the thought of the No. 3 prospect in the country suffering an injury. Iamaleava’s younger brother, Madden Iamaleava, was subbed in to replace Nico.
Thankfully, Iamaleava was able to come back onto the field, but Warren’s drive was halted at the goal line when Iamaleava was sacked to end the half. Iamaleava ran for a touchdown and threw two interceptions against Serra.
Iamaleava, who is UT’s highest-rated recruit since recruiting rankings became commonplace, is expected to visit Tennessee on Sept. 24 for the Florida game. Iamaleava plays quarterback on Fridays, but recruits for the Vols whenever he can.
Iamaleava’s most pressing target is Carnell Tate, who committed to Ohio State in September. Tate, a four-star receiver from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., was strongly considering Tennessee before committing to the Buckeyes. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound prospect recently shared a social media post in UT gear. That would certainly make one think he still has Tennessee on his mind.
“Carnell hit me about what games I’m going to,” Imaleava told ON3.
Tate’s commitment to Ohio State will be further questioned if he visits Tennessee for the Florida game, although it is unclear if he will do so.
While Iamaleava’s performance wasn’t great on Friday, he didn’t deserve the blame for at least one of his two interceptions, maybe both.
The game was marred by unusually heavy rain that didn’t help any quarterback that took the field. Moreover, Iamaleava’s first interception bounced off of one of his receivers chest and into the arms of a Serra defender.
