After the way he looked against the Kentucky Wildcats, it's easy to see why Nico Iamaleava is getting some national attention. The former 5-star prospect looked a bit inconsistent earlier in the season for the Tennessee Volunteers, but in the 28-18 win over the Wildcats, he looked tremendous.
Indeed, Iamaleava tossed for 292 yards and a touchdown. His stats might have been better had some drops not been posted by his wideouts. Regardless of that, he's a big reason why the Vols are 7-1 and the No. 7 team in the country per the first College Football Playoff rankings.
Well, more good news has come in for him and Josh Heupel. That's because the semifinalist list came out for the 2024 Shaun Alexander Award, an honor given to the freshman of the year. He's one of 14 players still in contention:
Congrats to @nico_iamaleava8 on being named a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) November 6, 2024
📰 » https://t.co/MJ2rWuOy3H#GBO 🍊 | @MaxwellFootball pic.twitter.com/sQ2mderpyG
Tennessee Vols' Nico Iamaleava is a semifinalist for a Freshman of the Year honor
Iamaleava being included as a semifinalist is no surprise. He has silenced plenty of his haters this year, which has been awesome to see. This weekend, Tennessee will host Mississippi State for Homecoming Weekend, a game they are expected to come out on top of.
Then in Week 12, though, a huge, massive meeting will be on the way against Georgia. The Bulldogs are one of the top teams in the country, with Kirby Smart and his players looking to capture yet another National Championship. This game will be in Athens, which will make things pretty darn difficult for Tennessee.
However, with the way the Vols' defense has been looking, along with the strong play of Iamaleava and Dylan Sampson, there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful of a potential upset. Should Iamaleava keep playing at such a high level, fans will start dreaming about what this squad might be able to get done in the CFP.
He's been electric with the ball in his hands and there's still plenty more season left for Iamaleava to keep turning heads. The time is now to jump on the Iamaleava bandwagon if you haven't done so yet. This guy is the real deal.