Urban Meyer makes absolutely huge statement about Nico Iamaleava and the Tennessee Vols

You can add former former Florida Gators/Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer to the rapidly growing list of folks who were extremely impressed with Tennessee Vols redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava this past weekend.

While appearing on The Triple Option this week, Meyer predicted that Tennessee will cover the -7.5 point spread against the NC State Wolfpack on Saturday night in Charlotte largely because of Iamaleava.

Meyer also pointed out Tennessee as a team that he thinks will make the 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024.

"I went back and watched Tennessee and they have a quarterback that I called (former USC QB) Matt Leinart and (former Notre Dame QB) Brady Quinn this morning after watching this thing, his name's Nico Iamaleava," said Meyer. "And I'm telling you this, I watched the whole [game] -- and it's Tennessee/Chattanooga, so they were overmatched, they (Tennessee) were so much better. But this guy, as far as body type, to stand there athletically and throw the ball, the ball came out like a missile. He was a five-star product coming out of high school. I asked this question -- is he a top 10 pick in the NFL Draft? -- to Brady and Matt.

"He's obviously got another year left. This guy is unbelievable. I know they had Joe Milton, I believe, last year. This guy is a monster. Because of him, I'm putting them to cover the spread (against NC State) and I think they'll be a playoff team because of this guy."

Meyer's coached some elite competitors -- Tim Tebow, Joe Burrow, Dwayne Haskins (RIP), Joey and Nick Bosa, Brandon Spikes, etc. He knows what the real deal looks like. And it only took a half of football against Chattanooga for Meyer to go all in on Iamaleava.

There's obviously a long way to go for the Vols in 2024, but it's starting to feel like Tennessee could be in store for an incredibly memorable season.

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