Tennessee Football: Are we approaching Nico Time in Knoxville?

Is it time for a quarterback change in Knoxville? On the surface, this may seem like a ridiculous question to ask given the fact that it’s late October and the Vols are off to a 5-2 start. However, coming off of a 10 win campaign last year and Heupel already in his third year with Tennessee football, one may beg the question that with little chance to win the SEC given the Vols already have two conference losses, maybe making an early move to freshman Nicholaus “Nico” Iamaleava would be better for the future.

If the Vols hadn’t dropped their game to Florida in Gainesville, they would be sitting at 6-1 overall with their only loss being to a top 10 opponent in Alabama. However, the loss in Gainesville not only made the road ahead exponentially more difficult for the Vols to get to Atlanta, but began to show cracks in senior quarterback Joe Milton’s game.

All off season the talk in Knoxville was about head coach Josh Heupel’s offensive system and how it didn’t matter as much who was at quarterback, because guys would be open. Guys are open – that’s for certain. The problem is Milton isn’t hitting them consistently. Through seven games so far this season, Milton is completing 62% of his passes which is 8% less than last year’s quarterback, Hendon Hooker. Hooker also brought a willing running presence to the Vols. Although he can run, Milton at times this season has looked reluctant to.

So that begs the question – with Heupel’s job secure at this point give his track record so far with the Vols, would be benefit them to start Nico for the second half of the season? The danger is apparent here. While Nico was the 23rd overall prospect according to ESPN for the class of 2023, he is still a true freshman. So do you put his confidence at risk throwing him into the SEC fire too early if he has a rough go of it? Or, even if he has a rough go of it, does he come out for the better on the other side and next year you’re set up for even more success given that Nico now has experience? And the latter of course would be keeping him on the bench to learn until next season.

Should Tennessee football start Nico Iamaleava at quarterback?

Nico has been on campus since spring practice in 2023 as an early enrollee and according to Heupel has made great strides with the Tennessee football program. Heupel told On3 that “Nico Iamaleava is moving in the right direction.” The question to many Vols’ fans they’re becoming increasingly curious about is how much of the right direction that is. In limited game action this season, Nico has gone 2-5 passing for 11 yards and has two rushes for eight yards.

If Nico is put in, it’s highly unlikely the Vols would reach another 10 win season with a true freshman quarterback at the controls, but it may be worth considering setting the Vols up for next year and beyond if it’s only going to sacrifice a win or two.