Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava left many impressed by his dazzling debut. The Vols smoked the Chattanooga Mocs to the tune of 69-3 last weekend.
Iamaleava was chiefly responsible for the beatdown. He went 22-for-28 for 314 yards and three touchdowns. It was a sparkling debut that left many, like Urban Meyer, in awe. Meyer discussed Iamaleava on The Triple Option while previewing Tennessee’s matchup with North Carolina State this weekend.
“I went back and watched Tennessee. They have a quarterback that I called Matt Leinart and Brady Quinn this morning after watching this thing. His name’s Nico Iamaleava,” Meyer explained. “It’s Tennessee-Chatanooga, so they were overmatched. They were so much better. But this guy, as far as a body type to stand there athletically and throw the ball, the ball came out like a missile.”
Meyer continued: “He was a five-star in high school. I asked, ‘Is he a top 10 pick in the NFL Draft?’ to Brady and Matt and they said obviously, he’s got another year left. This guy is unbelievable,” he said. “I know they had Joe Milton last year, but this guy is a monster. Because of him, I’m putting them to cover the spread, and I think they’ll be a playoff team.”
That’s quite a bullish statement to make, but it’s easy to be impressed by the Volunteers star after that performance against Chattanooga.
