Chaos and college football go hand in hand. This time, the target is Josh Heupel‘s redshirt freshman quarterback, Nico Iamaleava. He had 167 passing yards in Tennessee’s 31-17 loss to Georgia. However, Heupel used the opportunity to praise his quarterback for the plays he made and called him a “warrior.”. But what do the haters say? Nico did not manage to make a single touchdown in that game, and everyone is in line to criticise the quarterback. Amidst these hard times, Nico finds a way to keep his faith in himself intact. Any idea what it can be?

Well, Nico shared a story on Instagram. Do you follow basketball? So his story is about a new kid in Hollywood town. Yes, we are talking about Dalton Knecht, the LA Lakers Rookie (no. 17 pick in the 2024 Draft). However, Knecht is unlike other rookies. At 23, he has a world of experience in the college game. Despite that, when a rookie comes to a new team, you expect that they’ll take time to acclimatize themselves. Add to that the uncertainty of a rookie head coach in JJ Reddick.

Well, Reddick threw his rookie in high tides, and to the surprise of many people, Knecht comfortably made it to the shores. Just take his game against the Utah Jazz. 37 points, 9 3-pointers, five straight hits, 21 points in the 3rd quarter. These are not rookie numbers. Naturally, media wanted to know what was going through his head in that moment. One reporter asked Knecht, “At what point did you realize that you were in that state? Was it the first three? second three? at what point were you just like I’m locked in?” Knecht then answers that by saying, “The first shot!” That’s confidence and self-belief.

Even Knecht’s teammate, a relatively unknown person, you may have heard his name. Lebron James. Just kidding. We’re talking about the GOAT here (arguable, a Jordan fan would say). Even James was surprised how 16 other teams let the Lakers have a player like Knecht. “They [Lakers] didn’t find DK. The other 16 teams messed it up. You don’t find an SEC player of the year,” James said while praising the rookie.

So, how does it relate to our guy? Nico Iamaleava. Well, to be fair, Nico can do with a dose of motivation. Let’s be honest. He has the potential to have it all. It’s just the lack of consistency that goes against him. Just like Knecht, Nico has lit up enough games for Tennessee. Die-hard Vols fans would remember each of those moments. After a tough outing against the Bulldogs, a bit of Knecht magic to boost your confidence is all Nico needs.

Nico Iamaleave earns praise from an unexpected source

Although Tennessee lost 17-31 against Georgia, putting them a step away from the playoffs, it is believed Nico Iamaleava finally knows the drill. He went 20 of 33 passes for 167 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions against Georgia. Added to that, Iamaleava has completed 65 per cent of his passes for 2046 yards so far this season, along with 11 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

On top of that, it would be ignorant to forget Nico faced an injury in the Vols win against Mississippi State and he was medically cleared late in the week before the Georgia game. Despite winning against Vols, Kirby Smart supported Nico’s performance, saying, “It’s hard to get him down. I mean, that guy is a tough competitor now. I got a lot of respect for him for going through what he went through this week and breaking tackles. He’s got great quickness and great vision, and he’s a really talented quarterback with a bright future.”

On a few plays, Nico pulled out extra yards with his legs by breaking tackles, which didn’t go unnoticed by Smart. In addition, here’s the best shot for the Vols. If the Trojans get off the mat to beat Notre Dame, Tennessee’s playoff picture can be salvaged. Or they can hope that one of their SEC competitors falls off.