Tennessee Vols QB Nico Iamaleava receives added motivation just before the start of fall camp

A little added motivation never hurts for anyone, which is why Tennessee Vols fans should be glad that redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava received some just ahead of the start of fall camp.

Iamaleava, a former five-star recruit who was rated as the No. 1 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class, is set to take over as the Vols' starting quarterback this fall with Joe Milton off to the NFL.

The California native received his first career start in Tennessee's win against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Citrus Bowl last season.

Iamaleava, who earned Citrus Bowl MVP honors, completed 12-of-19 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown against the Hawkeyes. He also rushed for 27 yards and three touchdowns.

247Sports doesn't think Tennessee Vols QB Nico Iamaleava will be one of the top 10 passers in the nation in 2024

Earlier this week, 247Sports projected the top 10 national passing leaders for the 2024 season.

And Iamaleava wasn't among their top 10.

Here's their list:

10. Garrett Nussmeier -- LSU
9. Jaxson Dart -- Ole Miss
8. Carson Beck -- Georgia
7. Quinn Ewers -- Texas
6. Seth Henigan -- Memphis
5. Shadeur Sanders -- Colorado
4. EJ Warner -- Rice
3. Cam Ward -- Miami
2. Noah Fifita -- Arizona
1. Dillon Gabriel -- Oregon

(The fact that a former Josh Heupel-coached quarterback is No. 1 on their list is certainly interesting.)

It's not like it's disrespectful to Iamaleava to leave him off this list. He's a redshirt freshman who has never started a regular season game, after all (Oklahoma redshirt freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold, who will start for the Sooners this fall, is also a former five-star recruit and he's not in their top 10, either).

But at the same time, Iamaleava is hoping to end the season while being mentioned in the same company as names like Beck, Ewers, Gabriel, and Sanders. If the Vols are going to truly compete for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff (and for a natty), then they need Nico to be among the top 10 passers in the nation.

Iamaleava has plenty of motivation entering the 2024 season. But it wouldn't be a bad idea to use 247Sports' list of projected passing leaders as some added motivation.

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