I’ll be the best first to admit that I had much higher expectations of Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava this season. Redshirt freshman or not, I thought he would be an elite quarterback by this point in the season – and likely much earlier.

I was wrong. He’s not.

Iamaleava ranks No. 8 in passing efficiency in the SEC. Just five quarterbacks rank below him because of the minimum number of passes required to make the list. If Texas quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning had enough passes to qualify, they’d be ranked ahead of Iamaleava as well. 

I’ve been humbled. I’m taking my medicine and eating crow.

Here are four reasons I was wrong about Iamaleava and why he’s not anywhere close to being an elite quarterback heading into the No. 11 Vols matchup against No. 7 Alabama on Saturday at 3:30 EST. 

Nico is seeing ghosts

The constant pass pressure against quality defenses have had an effect on Iamaleava. Even when there isn’t pressure, he feels as if there is. That’s ultimately on him, even though Tennessee’s poor pass protection throughout the season has caused him to be skittish in the pocket. He’s understandably wary of dropping back in the pocket. However, there’s more.

Iamaleava’s running ability has also been affected. He’s not confident when he decides to tuck the ball and run. Subsequently, he’s gone from a big, confident ball carrier to looking like a baby giraffe at times.

Offensive tackle

This has caused the issues that have led to Iamaleava being unsure in the pocket and even more unsure as to when he should break the pocket and run the football. Yes, Iamaleava is seeing ghosts, but he’s also seen very real defenders that have made him look inept.

The Arkansas game was a great example. Iamaleava gave up two strip sacks due to poor pass protection, which has been most often times due to poor offensive tackle play. The penalties from Tennessee’s offensive tackles, which was very apparent on Saturday in the win against Florida, have also undermined drives, as Tennessee has been repeatedly put in long down-and-distance situations before they even got a drive fully underway.

The playbook is limited – for good reason

This was the case last season when former Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton wasn’t allowed to throw the ball in the middle of the field. That led to more screens than you’ll find in a Home Depot. The same thing has happened – or will happen – with Iamaleava, who has thrown two interceptions in the very limited number of passes that he has thrown in the middle of the field, one against Florida and one against North Carolina State.

Coaches get nervous when calling pass plays over the middle of the field if they don’t trust their quarterback. There is a much greater likelihood of a ball getting tipped up and intercepted, or just straight out picked, if a quarterback misses a read or just misses a receiver. If I’m Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, I’d be nervous about calling plays for Iamaleava to attack the middle of the field. Why wouldn’t he be?

Iamaleava is not the best option

Some of the issues with Iamaleava’s play this season has to lie squarely on his shoulders. Iamaleava missed at least two wide-open passes downfield and didn’t give receiver Chris Brazzell a chance to make a play in bounds against Florida on a go-route downfield. 

As long as running back Dylan Sampson is in the backfield and the Vols have a strong running game, led by a dominant interior on the offensive line, Tennessee should be a running team first. Then, let play action set up Iamaleava. That would give him more time even if that kind of offense isn’t exactly what Heupel is comfortable with.

The Vols also have a defense that can win games. Therefore, Tennessee’s best chance to win is with a strong running game and dominant, opportunistic defense, not chancing it with Iamaleava throwing the ball downfield.