BREAKING: Nico Iamaleava Commits to Tennessee
The Tennessee Volunteers have secured a commitment from five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava on Monday.
According to 247 Sports, Iamaleava is the highest-rated commit that head coach Josh Heupel has brought to Tennessee and the fifth-highest-rated recruit in Tennessee program history. Make no question about it, Tennessee landing Iamaleava is a game-changing move in both the recruiting world and in the future outlook of Tennessee football.
On3 Sports’ consensus rankings have Iamaleava as the fifth-ranked player in the class of 2023, the third-ranked quarterback in the class, and the second-ranked player from the state of California.
Iamaleava announced his commitment to Tennessee through a post on social media.
VOL NATION i m h e r e🍊#wewantnico #yougotme #TOABOYZ https://t.co/0Tb70NND78
— 🇼🇸Nicholaus Iamaleava Jr.🇦🇸 (@nico_iamaleava8) March 21, 2022
“VOL NATION I m h e r e,” Iamaleava said in the post.
With his commitment, Iamaleava becomes the fifth commit in Tennessee’s 2023 class and the fourth offensive player.
Iamaleava is one of the most talented playmakers from the high school ranks and has been widely praised for his ability to be a leader on and off the football field. Standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing in at 195-pounds, Iamaleava has the size, strength, and speed to be a dominant quarterback in the league.
“He’s a natural leader with a high compete level and a great off the field work ethic,” 247 Sports National Recruiting Analyst Greg Biggins said in his evaluation of Iamaleava. “There are zero character concerns with him and he’s a future captain who other players gravitate towards. There is not a throw on the field he can’t make, he’s comfortable throwing off-platform or being creative when he needs to be and combined with his rapidly improving football IQ and toughness, he has a chance to be a very special player at the next level and beyond.”
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In addition to Iamaleava ranking as the fifth-highest recruit in program history, the five-star prospect is also the highest-rated quarterback that Tennessee has hauled in since five-star Casey Clausen in the class of 2000.
While there is still a whole lot of time until the early signing period begins in December, there is no better start for the recruiting class than securing Nico Iamaleava. From a culture perspective, Iamaleava is a leader at the quarterback position and will immediately step onto campus in a competitive role. Iamaleava is the type of player that draws the top-tier national attention and spotlight, which will go hand-in-hand with Josh Heupel’s up-tempo offense.
In addition, from a recruiting standpoint, Iamaleava provides Tennessee with a foundation that other recruits will want to build upon. Iamaleava could just be the tip of the iceberg as the Vols now look to add even more talent to their class of 2023.
Big things are in store for Tennessee with the commitment of five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
