Chattanooga head coach makes strong statement about Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava after Mocs' 69-3 loss to the Vols

Chattanooga Mocs head coach Rusty Wright walked away from Shields-Watkins Field at Neyland Stadium on Saturday extremely impressed with Tennessee Vols redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

Iamaleava passed for 314 yards and three touchdowns while playing in just the first half of Tennessee's 69-3 win against the Mocs.

After the game, Wright told reporters that Iamaleava is the "real deal".

"He's the real deal," said Wright. "I think the more football that young man plays, I think he fits really well in the scheme of what they want to do. I think he is what they've been looking for in that spot. He has all the tools. The ball comes out of his hand good. I think the more football he plays, the better he'll be. And of course he will because he's started two games. I think in the middle of the year he'll be rolling really good."

Wright, who is in his sixth season as the head coach at Chattanooga, has seen some high-level quarterbacks up close over the years.

Last season, Chattanooga played against Alabama and Jalen Milroe. And in 2021, the Mocs played against Will Levis and Kentucky (say what you will about Levis, but he's the starting quarterback for a Tennessee Titans team with playoff aspirations).

Wright knows what a future NFL quarterback looks like. And it's clear that he thinks Iamaleava is worthy of the hype after seeing the former five-star recruit up close.

Iamaleava's journey at Tennessee is really just getting started. There's a long way to go for Iamaleava and the Vols to achieve their goals, but you couldn't ask for a better start to the season if you're a Tennessee fan.

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