Coming fresh of a happening season, one question that keeps popping up in the mind is who’s going to hit the mantle as the best QB heading to 2025. The time to clap for the unexpected touchdowns and high-flying yards is officially over. Now, it’s time to turn back and evaluate to have a better understanding of what to expect for the next. The one name making massive rounds over the lore is the Tennessee Volts overnight sensation quarterback, Nico Iamaleava.
He’s the current talk of the town for an overwhelming season but still fails to gain respect for two major loopholes.
Nico Iamaleava’s two down spots exposed in the best SEC QB race
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Iamaleava garnered a lot of eyeballs in his first year at the starting gig for Tennessee. It’s no less than a stellar. He led the team to a much-needed road win against Oklahoma and beat Alabama and Florida as a starter. The Citrus Bowl MVP was also a stunner behind the bar in 2023. But nothing like his standout year, 2024. 2616 yards, 19 touchdowns, and five touchdowns vouch for a flower, at least. But he’s not granted for an inch.
Which are getting in the way? Well, Braden Gall listed down the best QBs of 2025. With Arch Manning and DJ Lagway leading the chart, he has Garrett Nussmeier and Quinn Ewers somewhere on the bucket as well, but he fumbled a bit when it comes to Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava.
He believes Nico could be the best of all of them, but he needs to develop. He dubbed Nico as a very talented young player but believes ‘‘there are a lot of unproven elements to a lot of these guys.” I mean, Iamaleava had his best and worst records on the team. He made some blunders on the road, but let’s not keep aside the fact that Tennessee’s offensive line — more particularly, at the tackle positions – couldn’t protect Iamaleava sometimes..and the Vols’ wide receivers also looked bad at times.
You might argue that he could have been better this year, but he didn’t sign up to be his best version, a finished product as a red-shirt freshman. He has room to relax for a year. However, despite the pessimistic take, the Tennessee QB picked some serious hype in the early Heisman race.
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Nico Iamaleava makes rounds as the serious Heisman contender
The Nico Iamaleava bounce back will fall heavier than you think. In 2024, the California product took the entire program to storm, showing dominance over the starting gig. Despite being a little inconsistent, he was all over the place at Knoxville, leaving no room to question whether he was over-advertised or not.
However, despite racking up good stats, his campaign took a slump with Tennessee, ending their season with a tragic loss in the first round of the College Football Playoff to the Ohio State Buckeyes. From the moment Tennessee moved out from the bracket, the prized signal-caller shifted his focus to 2025. Tennessee reached a 10-win season. They missed the playoff but are showing every sign of coming back stronger and not missing the bull’s eyes at any cost in their next turn.
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But irrespective of every odds, Iamaleava did his part. Need further proof of that? Well, look at his Heisman stats the next winter as revealed by FanDuel. Tennessee’s sensational quarterback is almost at the top after Garrett Nussmeier and Arch Manning.
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Can Nico Iamaleava overcome his flaws to become the SEC's top quarterback by 2025?
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Can Nico Iamaleava overcome his flaws to become the SEC's top quarterback by 2025?
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