The weight of expectation on Nico Iamaleava in 2025 will be as heavy as the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. The Vols’ journey back to the SEC’s upper echelon was a marathon of missteps last year. The Vols have been knocking on the door, but that devastating loss to the Buckeyes ended Tennessee’s feeble attempt to reverse the trend in the Playoffs. Josh Heupel remained silent on what went wrong in an underproductive offense and a slow defense. Now, as the 2025 season looms, their fate is tied to a dual-threat thrower. Nico’s passing touchdowns (19) and rushing TDs (3) in 2024 make him Neyland’s main man. But he comes with his own terms and conditions.

Nico Iamaleava’s first full season as a starter delivered both promises and pauses. The Vols finished with a respectable 10-3 record, but the offensive inconsistencies were glaring. #8’s passing attack often vanished when Tennessee needed it most. He threw for fewer than 170 yards in four different games, exposing a lack of rhythm in the Vols’ aerial game. He’s electric, no doubt — a true dual-threat QB with the ability to extend plays and make things happen when the script breaks down.

But Brent Hubbs didn’t mince words when it came to the one thing Iamaleava has to master moving forward: self-preservation.“Legs are a part of his offense at the quarterback position; he is using his legs. I mean, he is more effective, so you are gonna have to call some stuff for him; he is gonna have to learn how to slide, not take the hits, get down, and protect yourself better.”

Tennessee’s offense is built on tempo, creativity, and forcing defenses into no-win situations. When it works, it’s a thing of beauty. But as On3’s J.D. PicKell pointed out, it’s a system that thrives on personnel as much as scheme, and right now, the Vols don’t have enough proven playmakers on the outside. “It’s going to take something from Nico at quarterback that I haven’t seen just yet for me to buy stock in them in 2025. Now long term, I believe in Tennessee, and I believe in the future. I believe in how they’re building that. I’m not even saying I don’t believe in Nico, but based on what he has been and based on what they don’t have on the perimeter, from what I can gather right now, Josh Heupel’s offense is built to out-scheme you in the trenches, run the football at a high level, and then when you give them matchups, when you try to isolate too much in the perimeter to account for the run, then they hit you over the top, they make you pay.”

And that’s the crux of Tennessee’s challenge heading into 2025. The Vols need more than just a quarterback. In 2022, Tennessee had playmakers who could win their one-on-one battles — Cedric Tillman and Brew McCoy made life easier for their quarterback, dictating matchups and stretching defenses thin. But that element isn’t as apparent now, at least not yet. “I don’t see a ton of matchup winners for Tennessee across the board. You hope Mike Matthews rounds into form. I need to see some winners on the perimeter for Tennessee to be a team that I think competes for the SEC,” PicKell said. That’s not just an observation; it’s a challenge for the Vols’ receiving corps to step up and give Iamaleava the tools to maximize his potential.

All eyes will be on Josh Heupel, too. His offensive system is widely regarded as one of the most innovative in the sport. Heupel’s ability to tailor his approach to Iamaleava’s strengths will be crucial. The challenge will be keeping defenses honest — finding the balance between letting Nico’s legs be a weapon without making him a target.

Tennessee can’t afford for their franchise QB to take unnecessary hits, and as Hubbs pointed out, learning to “slide, not take the hits, get down and protect yourself better” will be just as important as anything in Iamaleava’s development. If the Vols want to contend, they need their quarterback healthy and available when the biggest games roll around.

Iamaleava doesn’t need to be perfect, but he does need to be better than he was in 2024 to bring Josh Heupel and Vols in that “winning SEC” part by Vegas. On Thursday, CBS Sports just dropped their list of “contenders” and “pretenders” for the 2025 Heisman Trophy race, and Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava landed in the pretender category. Ouch, right? Maybe not.

Why Nico Iamaleava being a “Heisman pretender” could be a good thing for Josh Heupel

According to CBS, while Iamaleava flashed serious potential last season, he still has some growing to do. The numbers weren’t jaw-dropping — failing to hit 3,000 passing yards, tossing just 19 touchdowns, and completing under 65% of his passes. Plus, in eight of Tennessee’s 13 games, he didn’t even crack 200 passing yards. Translation?

The talent is there, but the consistency isn’t… yet. But honestly, this might be a good thing. Being hyped up as a preseason Heisman frontrunner sounds great, but all it really does is slap a massive target on your back. It creates pressure, expectations, and endless media chatter. Instead, Iamaleava gets to fly under the radar and focus on getting better without the extra noise.

At the end of the day, Heisman lists in February mean absolutely nothing. What really matters? Wins, leadership, and performance when it counts. And if Iamaleava takes that next step, HC Heupel won’t care about preseason labels.