Once Week 1 gets here, the Tennessee football team is ready to take on Syracuse in Atlanta. However, things are going to look different on offense. As you all know by now, the expectation is that Joey Aguilar will be taking over the offense for Nico Iamaleava, who has signed with UCLA.
Iamaleava leaving Knoxville this offseason remains stunning and it was news no one expected. Is this going to be a major setback for the Vols in 2025? It depends on who you ask. In a new piece from Athlon Sports, several SEC coaches spoke off record about the situation and the general feeling is that UT is going to be just fine.
Tennessee is getting ready for life without quarterback Nico Iamaleava
“Losing Nico [Iamaleava] isn’t good," a coach told Athlon Sports. "They’re not replacing him with a more talented quarterback, and they’re losing the QB who ran their system in a playoff game. But because of the way everything went down, I don’t think anyone blames the program or Josh [Heupel], and with the turnover on defense, Nico leaving makes a transition year a lot easier to stomach.”
Keep in mind too that Iamaleava wasn't the main reason the Vols reached the College Football Playoff last season. SEC Offensive Player of the Year Dylan Sampson was electric, while the defense was downright fantastic under the direction of Tim Banks.
“The bigger question, even after Nico, is replacing the defensive starters who carried them in big games," another coach told Athlon Sports. "The secondary is legit and probably their strength right now.”
Said secondary is led by standout cornerback Jermod McCoy, who took home All-SEC honors last season. Unfortunately, McCoy suffered a serious knee injury in the winter while training back home. His status for the start of the season is up in the air.
Despite that, this isn't a one-man or two-man show for the Vols in '25. The rest of the guys in the locker room are going to be ready to pick up their level of play on both sides of the ball. There's going to be a ton of hype surrounding Aguilar too, as he's hoping to silence all of his doubters out there. Yes, losing Iamaleava feels like a step back, but it's not going to ruin the campaign for the Knoxville side.