It’s still hard to believe for a lot of people that quarterback Nico Iamaleava is not going to be with the Tennessee football team this campaign. The former 5-star signee packed his bags and he’s now getting ready to make plays for UCLA in the Big Ten.
As we’ve said multiple times before, not having Iamaleava run the offense is going to sting for this team, especially after Josh Heupel and Co. reached the College Football Playoff last winter. Just how good is Nico going to be for his new squad? Unfortunately for Vols fans, ESPN thinks he’s going to be electric, naming him the No. 5 transfer in college football this cycle.Nico Iamaleava is expected to have a huge year for the UCLA Bruins in 2025
“He had an awful lot of hype to live up to as a redshirt freshman starter in 2024 and put together a solid year, throwing for 2,616 yards, completing 64% of his passes with 22 total touchdowns and nine turnovers while leading the Vols to 10 wins,” ESPN’s Max Olson wrote. “Iamaleava closed out the season with a rough CFP performance, completing 14 of 31 passes for 104 yards in a 42-17 first-round loss to eventual national champ Ohio State, and still has plenty of room to grow. But it is exceptionally rare that a QB of his caliber becomes available in the spring. Iamaleava is looking to keep progressing and play up to his first-round potential.To make matters worse, projected Vols starting quarterback Joey Aguilar was nowhere to be seen on this Top 100 list from ESPN. There’s hope that Aguilar will turn out to be a total stud and help lead the Vols offense to another strong campaign.
However, there are simply too many unknowns right now. What if Aguilar struggles adjusting to SEC play? If that’s the case, then might people end up calling for freshman Jake Merklinger to start getting some snaps? We’ll know more about things this summer and fall, but for now the loss of Iamaleava is going to keep on stinging for a little while.
Everyone was shocked when this happened, especially with the way he handled his exit. Skipping a practice and not connecting with anyone was the wrong way to go. What’s done is done, though, and now the Vols are hoping that the future can remain bright even with Iamaleava trading his Vols jersey for a Bruins one.
