Tennessee Soars Up the Rankings After Nico Iamaleava Commitment

Nico Iamaleava

After receiving a commitment from five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava on Monday, the Tennessee Volunteers’ 2023 recruiting class is soaring up the rankings.

Iamaleava is now Tennessee’s fifth-highest all-time recruit according to 247 Sports and second-highest Tennessee recruit in the last decade. In addition, On3 Sports’ consensus rankings have Iamaleava slotted as the fifth overall player in the class, the third-ranked quarterback in the class, and the second-ranked player from the state of California.

5⭐️ QB Nico Iamaleava is the fifth-highest recruit in Tennessee Football program history. pic.twitter.com/gVg6F8Kcmx

— Ric Butler (@Ric_Butler) March 21, 2022

Nico Iamaleava is also Josh Heupel’s highest commitment during his Tennessee tenure.

With the move, Tennessee is skyrocketing among the rankings. Here is a breakdown of where Tennessee’s 2023 class stood before Iamaleava’s commitment, and where the Vols rank now.

See Also from RTI: BREAKING: Tennessee Football Lands Elite Top 5 Prospect Nico Iamaleava

247 Sports

Prior to Iamaleava’s announcement, Tennessee was slotted at the No. 18 spot in the national recruiting rankings. Now, after landing the five-star quarterback, Tennessee has jumped all the way to No. 10. In addition, the Vols’ have the third-highest class in the SEC. The only other SEC school with a five-star commitment in the class is Alabama.

1. Notre Dame (9 commits)
2. Texas Tech (13 commits)
3. Arkansas (10 commits)
4. Georgia (7 commits)
5. Penn State (8 commits)
6. Baylor (8 commits)
7. Ohio State (5 commits)
8. Michigan (6 commits)
9. Louisville (7 commits)
10. Tennessee (5 commits)

On3 Sports

While 247 has Tennessee in the Top 10, On3 Sports still has the Vols just outside at No. 11 in the 2023 class. However, that is a jump up from No. 16 previously.

Additionally, On3 also now has Tennessee jumping up from No. 4 to No. 2 in the SEC rankings.

1. USC (3 commits)
2. Notre Dame
3. Georgia
4. Ohio State
5. Penn State
6. Arkansas
7. Michigan
8. Oklahoma (4 commits)
9. Texas Tech
10. Florida State (5 commits)
11. Tennessee

Rivals

Unlike On3, Rivals’ recruiting rankings do have Tennessee in the Top 10, coming in at No. 9. Prior to Iamaleava’s commitment, Rivals had Tennessee ranked No. 18 nationally.

Rivals’ rankings have the Vols at the No. 3 spot in terms of SEC class rankings as well, coming in behind both Arkansas and Georgia. However, Tennessee does now have the highest-rated player among all three.

1. Notre Dame
2. Texas Tech
3. Arkansas
4. Georgia
5. Penn State
6. Baylor
7. Ohio State
8. Michigan
9. Tennessee
10. USC

Tennessee’s Class of 2023 (So Far)

The Vols now have five players committed from the class of 2023, featuring four offensive players and one defensive player. Across all three recruiting publishers, each one has Tennessee with one five-star player, one four-star, and three three-star prospects.

Coming in at the top, five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava is clearly a game-changing player in the class. Iamaleava has the ability to not just transform Tennessee’s offense on the field, but also help build one of the strongest classes in the nation. A highly-touted quarterback is a magnet for other high-level recruits, and Iamaleava could be just that for Tennessee.

Behind him is four-star tight end Ethan Davis, a well-sized and strong pass-catcher out of the class. 247 Sports’ composite rankings have Davis as the fifth-rated tight end in the class of 2023.

Tennessee’s lone defensive player in the class so far is three-star safety Jack Lutrell, who has been a jack-of-all-trades type in high school as a skilled athlete. Rounding out the list are two in-state three-star prospects, offensive tackle Ayden Bussell (Mt. Juliet) and wide receiver Nate Spillman (Nashville).