Nico Iamaleava torched by former Vol in harsh critique

Former Vols wide receiver Da'Rick Rogers is a fun follow on X because he'll say whatever is on his mind. Earlier in the summer, he had some harsh words for former coach and Georgia Senate hopeful Derek Dooley. This week, Rogers directed his venom toward Nico Iamaleava.

The former Vols quarterback had a rough weekend in his first start with UCLA. The Bruins were overmatched in a 43-10 loss and Iamaleava struggled to make up the difference in talent. But Rogers always thought the former 5-star quarterback wasn't as good as advertised.

Dress for the job you want

There's probably a little something to Rogers' point and I say that without knowing the specifics of the event he was talking about. The quarterback is the de-facto leader of the team and if he's wearing pajamas to a tournament, he either doesn't want to be taken seriously or he doesn't take the event seriously.

Either way, it is a problem because it brings into question Iamaleava's competitive nature. As one of the top quarterback prospects in the nation, Iamaleava understood all eyes were on him, and he should have been focused on competing rather than making a fashion statement. And I can understand why that would be a turn-off for someone like Rogers. 

Iamaleava's wardrobe choice doesn't speak to his talent, but, as Rogers points out, maybe it does speak to his mentality. Football was probably easy for Iamaleava until he reached college. But at this level, the preparation has to surpass the physical talent. That's why the adage is that football is 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical.

​It will be interesting to see how much Iamaleava grows this year at UCLA. The Bruins don't have anywhere near the talent on their roster that Tennessee does, so Iamaleava is going to have to elevate his play and make the guys around him better. 

Maturity makes the difference

Tennessee looked great with Joey Aguilar leading the offense. He threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns while the Vols scored 45 points and racked up 495 total yards. Aguilar missed a couple of throws early, but he settled down and eventually hit some big shots, like a 73-yard touchdown to Braylon Staley.

The composure that Aguilar showed under the spotlight shouldn't be a surprise. He's 24 years old and is in his sixth year of college. He started in the junior college ranks and gradually leveled up. Aguilar has been through it all in college football and is ready to take full advantage of this opportunity.