The first three years of Josh Heupel’s tenure at Tennessee have been tremendously successful.
Heupel is 27-12 and has led the Volunteers to consecutive bowl triumphs, but Tennessee’s next step is to challenge for a position in the College Football Playoff.
In 2024, Heupel will have his third quarterback in the last four years. Hendon Hooker led the Volunteers for the first two seasons. Last year, Joe Milton took over, and this year, former five-star Nico Iamaleava will start.
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum believes that Iamaleava is a significant upgrade over Milton, and the Volunteers might have a successful season with the gifted signal caller.
“It is a significant upgrade over last year,” Finebaum stated. “Nico has an opportunity to become dominating. I believe he demonstrated this in the bowl game and to some extent throughout the season. I’m extremely optimistic about Tennessee with Nico, and I believe it’s going to be a huge year.”
Iamaleava started Tennessee’s bowl game against Iowa and led the Volunteers to a 35-0 win. He completed 12 of 19 throws for 151 yards with one passing score and three rushing touchdowns. Many people believe Tennessee will be a dark horse in the SEC next season after his remarkable performance.
If Iamaleava has the breakout season that Finebaum expects, Tennessee might return to contention, similar to its 2022 campaign, when the Volunteers finished 11-2 and ended sixth in the final College Football Playoff rankings.
