CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli made a comment about Tennessee Vols redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava this week that puts into perspective just how high the young quarterback's ceiling is.
Fornelli power-ranked the top 10 quarterbacks in college football and he put Iamaleava at No. 6, just behind Colorado's Shedeur Sanders.
While explaining why he has Iamaleava so high in his rankings, Fornelli mentioned that his feelings on Iamaleava are similar to the feelings he had about Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, back in 2021.
Fornelli also noted that he doesn't think Iamaleava should've sat behind Joe Milton at Tennessee last season (though I'm not sure I agree with that assessment -- Iamaleava will be a better player because of that year of development).
From CBS Sports : Hello, it is I, the No. 1 Nico Iamaleava fan in the universe. Nico is my preseason pick to win the Heisman, and because of my belief in him, I have Tennessee reaching the SEC Championship Game and the playoff. I was extremely tempted to rank him higher than this! The last time I was this high on a QB with so little experience? Before the 2021 season, some kid named Caleb Williams was stuck on the Oklahoma bench behind Spencer Rattler for reasons I couldn't comprehend. I know why Nico sat behind Joe Milton last year, but that doesn't mean I felt he should've .
If Iamaleava reaches his ceiling at Tennessee, there's a great chance (I'd even say a likely chance) that he will be just as hyped going into the NFL Draft as Williams was this past spring.
Iamaleava has a great arm, incredible poise, elite maturity, and ideal size. He's humble, yet competitive. The California native has all the traits that NFL teams look for in a high-level quarterback. Iamaleava absolutely has No. 1 overall pick upside.
Fornelli sees it. Josh Heupel and his staff saw it a couple of years ago when they started recruiting Iamaleava. And on Saturday, the entire country will get to see what Iamaleava's future NFL potential now that he's the full-time starter at Tennessee.
Related: Butch Jones referenced one of his most brutal losses at Tennessee ahead of Arkansas State's 2024 season-opener
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