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Nico Iamaleava vs. Iowa: Stats, 247 ranking, more to know of Tennessee QB in Citrus Bowl debut

Zac Al-Khateeb, USA TODAY NETWORK
·4 min read

Monday's Citrus Bowl game could be a glimpse into the future for No. 21 Tennessee (8-4, 4-4 in SEC play).

Following the surprising opt-out of starting quarterback Joe Milton III, heralded freshman Nico Iamaleava will make his debut as a starter for the Vols. And he has quite the test ahead of him, taking on a 17th-ranked Iowa team (10-3, 6-3 Big Ten) whose defense ranked fifth nationally in total defense (274.8 yards per game) and third in scoring defense (13.2 points per game).

Iamaleava enters the game vs. the Hawkeyes with minimal game experience — but what he has shown this year and in high school has Tennessee fans excited at the prospect of the future. If he can excel vs. what has been one of the nation's top defenses of the 2023 college football season, that excitement and accompanying expectatons will only skyrocket.

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Here's everything you need to know of Iamaleava ahead of Monday's game vs. Iowa, including stats, 247 ranking and more:

Nico Iamaleava stats

Iamaleava has seen minimal playing time this year, appearing in only four games. In that limited action, he has completed 16 of 26 passes (61.5%) for 163 yards and one touchdown of 19 yards. (The longest completion of his early career was 28 yards). He also has five rushes for 44 yards, including a long of 25.

His most extensive action was in the regular-season finale vs. Vanderbilt, when he completed 9 of 12 passes for 66 yards. He also rushed for 15 yards in the win. He also led two drives vs. UConn on Nov. 4, including an eight-play, 78-yard touchdown drive: He completed his first touchdown pass to McCallan Castles against the Huskies. He also entered the game vs. UTSA on Sept. 23 and Virginia on Sept. 2

Here's a game-by-game look for Iamaleava this season:

  • vs. Virginia (Sept. 2): 2 of 3 passing (66.7%) for 11 yards; one rush for 8 yards

  • vs. UTSA (Sept. 23): One rush for minus-4 yards

  • vs. UConn (Nov. 4): 5 of 9 passing for 86 yards, one touchdown; one rush for 25 yards

  • vs. Vanderbilt (Nov. 25): 9 of 12 passing for 66 yards, two rushes for 15 yards

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Nico Iamaleava 247 ranking

Iamaleava was one of the most heralded recruits of the 2023 class, and was a consensus five-star prospect who enrolled early for Tennessee's Orange Bowl vs. Clemson. He was considered the No. 3 overall player out of high school per 247Sports' Composite rankings, including the No. 2 quarterback and top overall recruit from the state of California. He trailed only Texas QB commit Arch Manning and Alabama EDGE Keon Keeley.

Nico Iamaleava high school

Iamaleava hails from Warren High School in Downing, California. There, the 2022 Polynesian High School Player of the Year helped lead Warren High School to a 9-2 record. He threw for 1,726 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior and added 399 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground as a senior in 2022

The year prior, he completed 162 of 272 passes (59.5%) for 2,244 yards and 33 touchdowns. He also rushed for 158 yards and three more scores while guiding Warren to an 8-1 record. Per his Tennessee player bio, he was also considered one of the top volleyball players in the country, playing at Long Beach Poly as a freshman before transferring to Warren.

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Nico Iamaleava pronunciation

For fans hearing Iamaleava's name for the first time here's a handy pronunciation guide for you. And here's the quarterback pronouncing his name himself:

If Iamaleava becomes the household name Tennessee fans hope he'll be, they'll need practice saying his name. Whether that jump to stardom starts Monday vs. Iowa remains to be seen.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Nico Iamaleava stats, 247 ranking, more to know of Vols QB in Citrus Bowl