Apparently, it’s not enough that Tennessee made their first playoff appearance. Their first CFP round against Ohio State was a disaster. The fact that the Vols were one and done in the playoffs didn’t sit well with fans. But the tension had been brewing for QB Nico Iamaleava since their Week 6 game. Like most teams, Tennessee also has that one loss that threatens to outweigh all the wins. And that’s where the pressure for the Vols signal caller stems from. 

It was that fateful clash against Arkansas that exposed Josh Heupel and the Volunteers’ shortcomings. Founder of SEC Unfiltered Chris Phillips joined the Chase Thomas Podcast on January 15 to talk about how this affects Nico Iamaleava. Digging the frustration that surfaced from that upset, he said, “I think there are things to nitpick. Like this is a huge offseason for Nico Iamaleava. This is a huge offseason for that offense and getting the most out of the quarterback position.”

Nico Iamaleava faced immense criticism after their falling to Arkansas. The scrutiny mainly stemmed from his inability to throw under pressure. With just six seconds left, he scrambled out of bounds instead attempting a TD pass, clocking the final result in a 19-14 loss. Their last loss against Ohio State is more understandable, but getting dominated 42-17 wasn’t in the cards for Tennessee fans. 

In their first CFP round defeat, Nico Iamaleava had an underwhelming record completing only 14-of-31 passes for 104 yards. He also rushed for 47 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. That game only earned him negative comments citing that time may not develop him into one of the top QBs for the NFL. But wait, that playoff loss is going to serve as motivation for Nico Iamaleava. 

Offseason motivation is in the air for Nico Iamaleava 

Nico Iamaleava already has a reason to develop himself in the offseason. After that humiliating loss to the Buckeyes, the redshirt freshman declared, “Just use it as motivation… I love the team we have. Just the way tonight went was not the way we wanted it to go, and we’ll use that as fuel and motivation during this offseason to really hit it.” The 20-year-old might have to rework on his ability to make decisions under pressure and strive in the pocket. That’s one of the reasons that contributed to his 28 season sacks. 

Another area of improvement for Nico Iamaleava is consistency and accuracy. He completed 213-of-334 passes for 2,616 yards, nineteen touchdown, and five interceptions. But aside from the signal caller, Tennessee’s WR position needs a revamp too. As CBS Sports‘ Shehan Jeyarajah noted, “For all the blame going around towards quarterback Nico Iamaleava or the offense line or the defense, wide receiver was the position group that separated this game… Tennessee only had one player with more than 500 yards receiving on the year.”

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Josh Heupel will have a lot to assess this season for the greater good of Tennessee’s offense. Can Nico Iamaleava inspire and prepare the Vols for a more productive season next year?