CFB Expert Slams Tennessee Biggest Recruit In Recent History Due To…

The Tennessee Volunteers are entering their fourth season under head coach Josh Heupel.

It has been an offensive-led turnaround in Knoxville, but 2023 felt like a poor year on that side of the football. During the Vols’ (11-2) 2022 season, they finished first in points with 46.1 per game, averaged 525.0 yards per game, and averaged 7.2 yards per play while having the sport’s most explosive offensive, according to advanced analytics.

The 2023 season did not exactly go that way. They ended 37th in points per game with 31.8, averaging 448.1 yards on 6.5 yards per play, and the offense struggled for the bulk of the games. So, what was the reason for decline? Well, you might start with a lack of weapons on the outside in an offense built around a deep choice passing strategy, but the most obvious answer is the fall in quarterback play from Hendon Hooker in 2022 to Joe Milton in 2023. In 2024, the Vols will look to probably their biggest recruit in recent history, quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

Nico enters his first year as a starter for the Vols with high expectations, and many analysts feel his abilities will propel the Vols back to offensive supremacy. ESPN SEC analyst Paul Finebaum has high expectations for Iamaleava.

“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.”