The difference between Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava and Georgia quarterback Carson Beck is not as big as you might think. Here’s proof.

Let’s start with the statistics. Iamaleava is less than a point behind Beck in quarterback rating, 185.8 to 185.4. Then, Off The Hook Sports asked a keen eye to breakdown the two Heisman contenders.

“I was expecting a really good quarterback, no doubt about it,” ESPN analyst Aaron Murray said of Iamaleava. “Seeing him in the bowl game, (he) checked off a lot of boxes. Good arm. He’s obviously good sized. Really nice athleticism in and outside the pocket. 

“I just wanted to see a confident quarterback. I think that’s the hardest thing for young quarterbacks is just to have the confidence that, ‘I belong. I can play in big time games and then I can make a mistake and then be able to bounce back from that.’”

Murray, who hosts the “Snaps” podcast on YouTube, has seen enough to be a believer in Iamaleava after two games, especially when the redshirt freshman still played at a high level after an errant throw resulted in an interception against North Carolina State on Saturday. Murray said he was impressed by how Iamaleava, as a young quarterback, didn’t go into a “shell” after that interception and another pick in which he was pressured.

“Seeing him, especially in Week Two versus N.C. State, make mistakes, bounce back and continue to take chances and not hold the ball, there’s something to that with a quarterback that maybe hasn’t had a lot of reps in the game,” Murray said. “You see a guy waiting for someone to get open and Nico’s just letting it rip, man.

“He’s seeing the field really well and he’s just letting it go to a spot. So a lot of his receivers make a play. To me, he looks very much more mature as a quarterback than probably what he should be at the moment.”

Iamaleava has sparkled in Tennessee’s offense after waiting a season behind former Vol quarterback Joe Milton. Iamaleava has completed 38 of 51 passes for 525 yards and five touchdowns with just the two aforementioned interceptions in limited action during the Vols’ two blowout wins this season. 

“It’s super mature,” Murray said of Iamaleava’s performance. “He’s in an offense that he’s going to shine. He is athletic, so he’s going to get yards with his legs. I think that’s another thing that like we all love. I love the pocket quarterback. I love all quarterbacks. They can do a lot of things, but to me the guys that have a real chance to to make a splash when it comes to the voting in New York (for the Heisman Trophy) is Heisman moments like wins in big-time games, which Nico is going to get that opportunity and then Heisman type plays.”

Those opportunities won’t present themselves this week, but they will when the Vols travel to Norman, Okla., on Sept. 21.

“He’s going to get that next week on the road against Oklahoma,” Murray said. “Probably two undefeated teams going against each other. That’s an opportunity in the national spotlight.”

That’s an understatement. Not only will the Vols (who play Kent State on Saturday by the way) and Sooners likely be undefeated, but the game will also be on primetime at 7:30 EST and will mark the return of Josh Heupel to the campus in which he once roamed as the starting quarterback for Oklahoma. That should begin to test Iamaleava and show the nation just how good he actually is.

“A lot of fans are going to be excited about the whole “Heup” Bowl,” Murray said. “…Then you’re going to get Alabama at home, which is going to be a hyped up game. Then you’re going to get Georgia on the road.”

So does Murray think Iamaleava is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate? You bet.

“He checks off a lot of boxes where I would suggest that Tennessee fans and the media, you start that hype train now because he’s good enough to be in that conversation,” Murray said, “if he plays the way he’s played the first two weeks of the season.”

Murray has been a hyped-up quarterback as well during his time at Georgia from 2009 to 2013. He had one piece of advice for Iamaleava to avoid the Heisman hype. No, Murray didn’t go so far as to say Iamaleava should utilize a flip phone like former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett. However, Murray suggested that Iamaleava, who is making over $2-million a year in endorsements while playing at Tennessee, should consider hiring a social media manager.

With that in line, Tennessee should expect elite quarterback play compared to what it had last season with former Vol Joe Milton. That allows Tennessee coach Josh Heupel to be more aggressive with Iamaleava.

“Joe is very inaccurate,” Murray said. “It’s hard to take risks and do things when you have a quarterback that’s not very accurate.”

Murray harkened back to 2022 when the Vols were very aggressive with former quarterback Hendon Hooker.

“Hendon took shots,” Murray said. “You go back to Tennessee two years ago, they were pushing the ball vertically down the field over and over and over and over again. But, if you’re going to say, ‘Hey, pick one of these three quarterbacks, who are you going to take today? Nico is the most gifted. Maybe Joe can throw the ball the furthest and Joe is the biggest…But Nico is the most natural thrower of the three. 

“Hendo is an incredible leader and had great touch on the deep ball as well. He had an incredible season. If it wasn’t for the injury, he would have been in New York himself. Not taking anything away from Hendon Hooker, but Nico is the best combination of them.”

And perhaps, the best quarterback in the SEC. Maybe, but Iamaleava has much more to prove until anyone makes that claim.