Is Nico Iamaleava a legitimate Heisman contender?

Tennessee football redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava had a breakout performance against Chattanooga in Week One. He completed 22 of 28 pass attempts for 314 yards and three touchdowns, which was good enough for a program record for most passing yards in a single half. 

As a result of his dominant showing, he has immediately been mentioned in Heisman contender circles. Talking heads have named him a serious Heisman contender, and Vegas upped his odds to jump him ahead of USC quarterback Miller Moss and Colorado receiver/corner Travis Hunter. 

So, where does Nico currently stand in the Heisman race odds? He is the seventh-highest player on the odds list but has the fourth-highest odds of winning the Heisman trophy. 

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart sit at the top with +850 odds to win the Heisman. In comparison, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck has +900 odds, and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe and Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers both have +1000 odds. 

That puts Nico right behind Ewers, and he has +1400 odds to win the Heisman trophy heading into Week Two. That makes Nico the fourth-best quarterback if you're judging based on the Heisman odds, which isn't bad as a Freshman, but it is believed he might be better than Vegas is giving him credit for after Week One. 

Josh Pate, host of Josh Pate's College Football Show, has high praises for Nico after the first game of the season. Sure, he diced up Chattanooga, but that isn't hurting the hype surrounding the young quarterback, especially with Pate saying he might be the best QB in the SEC come December.

If Pate is right about one thing, Nico is a superstar. He sat behind Joe Milton last season and learned the do's and don'ts of college football quarterbacking. Now, as a redshirt freshman, he is unleashing his abilities on college football. 

The SEC has a handful of really good quarterbacks right now, but Nico could surpass all of them if he replicates his success against Chattanooga against SEC opponents. 

Nico will face his first test of the season on Saturday, though. If Nico can repeat his performance from Week One against NC State, expect the hype to continue building. The Vols and Wolfpack kickoff at 7:30 PM ET on ABC for a primetime non-conference matchup between conference contenders.