Tennessee couldn’t reach the helm of success this season. They capped off their run with an upsetting 42-17 loss to Ohio State in the first round of the college football playoff. The game remains symbolic of their back-and-forth throughout the season. However, the initial tempo looked different a few months back. Fans were highly expecting to see the Volts rise and shine in a standout year. Thanks to their seismic start with a four-game winning streak, combining 216-18. Shortly after, the stats took a pear-shaped with costly turnovers, multiple bad plays, and penalties left their vulnerabilities wide open. However, amidst the chaos, Nico Iamleava showed some promise with his sheer athleticism and strength in some big games.

You see, Nico did everything in his power to carry Tennessee to a College Football Playoff win. And that burden was certainly way too heavy for the Vols quarterback. And somehow, he couldn’t deliver up to the lofty expectations. Passing attacks look too feeble to make any difference in some matches, throwing below 170 yards several times. He put on a pretty underwhelming showdown against OSU. He passed for a season-low 104 yards and got sacked four times in the game. While he was good at extending plays and pushing the ball throughout, he severely struggled with accuracy throughout. Consequently, before the 2025 pre-season kicks off, a national media pundit takes Iamaleava’s potential with a grain of salt.

According to SEC Mike, the California native is not worth betting a dime for a rebounded 2025. After Stephan mentioned how he dealt with sky-high expectations coming to the 2024 regular season with a mediocre 19 touchdowns, five interceptions, and 64 percent completion rate and how he could be a little bit more prolific, Mike chimed in, ”I didn’t write Nico down ( for 2025) because I am not sold that he could do it. I am not questioning his talent or ability or even the system. So they got all those pieces. But it’s more about retoured offensive line, retoured receiving core, lost your standout running back. So, that’s just a lot to throw at a quarterback that is still developing.”

Nico Iamaleava rightfully needs a new bell-cow running back as Dylan Sampson enters the NFL draft rather than returns to the Volts for another season. The Vols couldn’t rue more for the loss of one of their greatest assets, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year. Sampson had a bumpy season as most of his games were cut short by injury, but he had a lot to do for the grappling offensive line, especially in protecting Iamleave the next year.

He has shown a flash of brilliance. If the Vols can’t reload around Iamaleava and maximize his potential, 2025 would be nothing but another luckless attempt. It seems that it is not only Mike, but many veterans also see the five-star recruit’s future as a bit far-fetched at Knoxville.

Nico Iamaleava has two down spots detrimental to his 2025 future

Braden Gall recently revealed his Mount Rushmore QBs of 2025. Arch Manning and DJ Lagway earned their spot early on the list, while Garrett Nussmeier and Quinn Ewers also managed to be there, but he couldn’t come to a clear conclusion about Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava.

He believes Nico has everything that makes him a perfect fit for the list, but he needs to be better. He dubbed Nico as a very talented young player but believes ‘‘there are a lot of unproven elements to a lot of these guys.” I mean, Iamaleava had his best and worst records on the team. He made some blunders on the road, but let’s not keep aside the fact that Tennessee’s offensive line — more particularly, at the tackle positions – couldn’t protect Iamaleava sometimes, and the Vols’ wide receivers also looked bad at times.

Nico is not a finished product but if the people around him get him a little push, he will get there surely. Left tackle Lance Heard, an LSU transfer and former five-star recruit, has a lot to do next season to chisel out the best out of Iamaleava. His development can derail or cement the QB phenom’s position in the line. Five-star signee David Sanders, the No. 1 tackle in the 2025 class, will also be under scrutiny heading into the battle.

There is more to the list that can play an instrumental role in Iamaleava’s success in the coming year, but let’s just keep the rest for the time to unveil at its own pace.