Poll about Nico Iamaleava with one caveat

If Nico was just an old school scholarship redshirt fresman, no NIL, how would he rate?


  • Total voters
    554
  • Poll closed .
#51
#51
Nico just recently saw true speed on the opposing defense.

Not Iowa nor anything until Arkansas this season had he actually needed to speed up.

Our defense in practice wasn’t bent on breaking Nico.

Chew on that for a minute.
 
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#52
#52
He looks good playing teams like Iowa, Chattanooga, North Carolina state, Kent state.
The number one reason why he looks so good, because they did not have an SEC defense. He is now learning the speed and aggressiveness of these SEC defenses, And hopefully adapting an overcoming. I believe he can and will.
I’m just like every other Tennessee fan on here. I really want the WINS for our VOLS Football Team, we’ve been down way too long and I’m very sick of these Georgia fans spewing their crap Making fun of our beloved football team.
 
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#53
#53
Nico just recently saw true speed on the opposing defense.

Not Iowa nor anything until Arkansas this season had he actually needed to speed up.

Our defense in practice wasn’t bent on breaking Nico.

Chew on that for a minute.
I just posted about the same thing
 
#54
#54
I voted about on schedule. I really think if we get him some help though he could be ahead of schedule. He was crazy accurate with placement early on in the season and that kind of fell apart as the season went on; accuracy is accuracy though, if you protect he throws a good ball.

If I’m Bama I hold WRs, do whatever I need to to hit Nico early on and get in his head. Do that and shut down Sampson and see how he responds.

Offense and coaches need to protect early on and get some plays that slow down the pass rush. Bama isn’t good in the secondary. I think they’re very vulnerable but our Oline has to give Nico time.
 
#55
#55
I wonder how a true comparison could be made with former QB's unless you can factor the #1 caveat we keep reading about Nico. We keep hearing that JH limits the play calling because " he can't trust Nico" or " doesn't want to put too much responsibility on " It's the same thing we heard last year with JM.
That could be more of a difference in the philosophy of the head coaches than a difference in the players. Maybe Heupel is too protective or too cautious.
 
#56
#56
I am pulling for Nico and TN but the defense is not going to win every game. Yes he is young, but I see him even missing the target on many easy passes. Play call is also not helping him much. I am so tired of handing Sampson the ball and hope that he can get yardage on his own. If that crap continues, Alabama and GA will both beat TN and then CFP is over. Get the tight ends involved more in the passing game.
 
#57
#57
Feel free to give any feedback as to why you rated how you did. Completely optional.

Nico is a game manager at this point in his career and he does not have an ELITE receiver that he can throw to to potentially win a ball game for Tennessee.
 
#58
#58
I never bought all the hype. He's still growing up, so it's gonna be hard at times. It will be nice when he really starts to show his maturity.
 
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#59
#59
I think he is behind schedule. I know RS FR and the OL. But let’s be real, even in the cupcake games this year, he didn’t just totally wow. Call me crazy all you want but I was expecting similar to Bryce Young. We haven’t seen anything even remotely close.

He has missed quite a few passes he shouldn’t have. He looks scared to run. I am disappointed in Nico so far. I know he will improve but it can’t come quick enough.
 
#60
#60
He is not just your average redshirt freshman. He’s the highest rated qb we’ve landed since Peyton Manning probably. I know that’s unfair to hold him to that standard, but I think most would agree they would have expected a little bit quicker decision making and crisper passes from him in these SEC games up to this point.

It’s a tough question because the line isn’t doing him any favors. He may just be rattled from the limited amount of time he has, leading to errant throws. But it’s too tough to tell at this point. Either way, the potential is obvious and I believe he will figure it out.
Only those who never watched Peytons first season as a starter.

Some of yall seem to foget he looked very freshman like on many occasions.
 
#62
#62
There are only a few 5 stars qb’s who have started as freshman and lit the world on fire with their play…..
This ^^^. Nico was billed by the “experts” to be a generational QB. When someone is considered to be “generational” by the “experts”, one assumes the generational title brings about expectations exceedingly above average. Then you combine that with NIL money. If you have a guy making $500,000 annually compared to a guy making $2,000,000 annually, you expect a lot more from the guy making $2 mil.

This is my hang up and I have the stones to say it and offer zero apologies. The fact that I’ve already seen better RS Freshman QB’s in the past and then I witness what we have in Nico and wonder, generational QB? He’s not generational at the moment. Will he ever be generational? I have no idea. Right now, I see an average RS Freshman QB. Nothing exceptional. I certainly hope he becomes everything the experts claim he is or could become because I’d love for my beloved Vols to destroy Bama, Florida, and Georgia for at least 10 consecutive years.

With all of that said, I’m not blind. I can plainly see the OL is hindering his progress playing like swiss cheese and that’s on Heupel and his best buddy coaching the OL. I’m not seeing any elevation in talent or skill level there either. At some point, Heupel will have to decide if the relationship with his buddy is worth harming his career. Or, his buddy can do Heupel a favor and move along so that he doesn’t put Heupel in that difficult position.
 
#64
#64
Nico will be fine, folks need to relax a little. He played a pretty good second half against Florida. How bout somebody talk about our Defense! We have yet to give up 20 points in a game. Our offense is gonna improve as we go. I said before the season started I thought the D would lead the offense for the first half of season but offense will improve as we go. We continue to be able to run the ball as Sampson has another 100 plus yard performance. I think we are close, it’s not all Nico either. Silly penalties have gotten us backed up on distance and we lost our rhythm at times. Blocking has broke down a few times. But in second half of Florida game we began to click well at times, we just missed a few big ones. Here’s to it all coming together this weekend, Bama is good but this is a winnable game for the Vols and I personally feel like we are going to put together a great performance on Saturday!GBO
 
#66
#66
I think everyone needs to take a really deep breath…… exhale slowly…… and then STFU about Nico’s inabilities. The dude is experiencing some growing pains and the Oline is struggling. He’s going to a very good QB
 
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#67
#67
I am pulling for Nico and TN but the defense is not going to win every game. Yes he is young, but I see him even missing the target on many easy passes. Play call is also not helping him much. I am so tired of handing Sampson the ball and hope that he can get yardage on his own. If that crap continues, Alabama and GA will both beat TN and then CFP is over. Get the tight ends involved more in the passing game.
The offense has always run the ball almost the same way as it is now. People forget that this is a power run game disguised as a air raid system. It starts every play with play action to a back, if they are in the backfield, and almost every run is up the middle or off tackle. That is not unique to this year. Sampson is averaging over 100 yards per game and has 15 tds. He is on pace to break 1400 yards....easily. Factor in that he is in a platoon system and that make it even more impressive.
 
#68
#68
Can someone verify one thing for me? I am trying to find a ranking of QBs that are either true freshmen or redshirt. Anything I can find shows Nico as the highest ranked freshman QB, redshirt or not, I am just not sure how recent they have been. I looked up the PFF top 25 for QBs and he was in the honorable mention category. That would mean somewhere between 26 and 35. There were zero freshmen in the top 25.
 
#71
#71
This is EXACTLY why I have stated my opinion of NIL so strongly. My problem with your post is completely ignored the basic tenant of the poll. Please go back and read the poll question and think about your answer in that context.
I don't think you understand what I was trying to say. (I voted about where, etc.) I do not know your position on this question, all I am saying is that to many fans of the sport, "this is the world we live in now". I do not like NIL and think it has/is ruining college sports as it has been for my lifetime and back beyond.
 
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#72
#72
I don't think you understand what I was trying to say. (I voted about where, etc.) I do not know your position on this question, all I am saying is that to many fans of the sport, "this is the world we live in now". I do not like NIL and think it has/is ruining college sports as it has been for my lifetime and back beyond.
I apologize savannahfan. I did misread your post. I meant absolutely no offense.
 
#73
#73
He’s better than any first year starter we’ve had since Peyton, at least. Nico has a lot of room to improve, but he spent back to back games playing against a team that previously ran the same offense and another team which two former Vols played on. Florida was the first team that didn’t have inside information on our offense. Nico needs to get his confidence level back up and show us where he’s really at.
Well, yeah, all that and rabbit stew. In view of the question, I still think he's about where I expected him to be at this point.
 
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#75
#75
Only those who never watched Peytons first season as a starter.

Some of yall seem to foget he looked very freshman like on many occasions.

College football has changed immensely in the last 25 years, but I ran across the following statistical comparison in a Facebook post:

"Nico Iamaleava (freshman) after the Florida game has completed 94 of 143 attempts for 1219 yards 7 touchdowns and 3 ints. 44 carries 135 yards and 1 touchdown

Peyton Manning (freshman) completed 89 of 144 attempts for 1141 yards 11 touchdowns and 6 ints. 21 carries for -26 yards and 1 touchdown." One might call that uncannily similar. Vols Dawg
 
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