Tennessee’s most recent team ranking is all about one thing: it’s quarterback position.
The simple fact is that, apparently, the national media and coaches, in their own, unimportant poll, don’t believe the Vols will be a college football playoff contender. That’s why Tennessee is 15th in both polls. Simply put: voters don’t know – or don’t have faith in – Nico Iamaleava.
While there is still plenty of unknown territory to cover about the Vols’ redshirt freshman quarterback (such as how he’ll produce in high-intensity situations), he shouldn’t be viewed as a freshman. He’s been studying the Vols since he committed in March 2022 and had a pretty good feel for Tennessee before that as he inspected the Vols during his recruitment.
Iamaleava arrived on campus to get a feel for the place in December 2022. Yes, that’s almost two years ago. Iamaleava is more like a junior than a freshman, which would understandably be unbeknownst to national media, who have plenty of journalistic endeavors to pursue outside of Tennessee football.
Admittedly, I might have undervalued a redshirt freshman quarterback from the other side of the country if I were voting for the AP Poll. However, I know far better in this case. Iamaleava isn’t just making himself and the Vols’ passing game better. He’s making the Vols’ entire program better.
“I feel like Nico is making me better,” defensive back Jermod McCoy said this week. “He is reading my eyes and I need to learn how to give a different look than what he thinks is coming. He’s definitely made me better.”
Wait, Iamaleava is already reading defenses at such a high level that he’s looking off defenders? That doesn’t sound like a freshman, redshirt or not.
Until Tennessee coach Josh Heupel proves he can win with multiple quarterbacks in consecutive years, voters in either poll aren’t going to give him the benefit of the doubt if he enters the season with a new quarterback at the helm. Moreover, Heupel has been darn hard to predict when it comes to quarterbacks at Tennessee.
In retrospect, former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker exceeded expectations as he nearly led the Vols to a four-team playoff in 2022. Former Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton didn’t reach the high bar set by his athleticism last season.
Tennessee wasn’t ranked in the AP preseason poll in 2022 and came in at No. 15 in 2023. The Vols finished the 2022 season as the sixth best team in the nation and came in at 17th at the conclusion of the 2023 season. In other words, voters in both polls missed on the Vols in their preseason poll. That would make any voter wary, especially those that don’t know much about Iamaleava.
