There's one big thing that everyone criticizing Tennessee Vols QB Nico Iamaleava is missing

There's been plenty of criticism directed at Tennessee Vols redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava after UT's 19-14 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks this past weekend.

Iamaleava didn't play his best game against Arkansas. Neither did anyone else on Tennessee's roster (specifically the offensive side of the ball).

There's plenty of blame to go around for the Vols' uninspiring performance against Arkansas. The offensive line didn't block well, running backs weren't great in pass protection, tight ends didn't play well, etc.

When it comes to Iamaleava, some of the criticism is warranted. He needs to be more decisive, he needs to play with more confidence, and he needs to know when to use his legs to pick up key yards.

What's not warranted, though, is this idea that Iamaleava is "overrated".

There's simply not enough information to make that suggestion after just six career starts for the former five-star quarterback. The only reason folks seem to be throwing that idea out there is because they expected Iamaleava to play this season like Hendon Hooker played for the Vols in 2022 (I've even seen some fans suggest that Josh Heupel isn't a good coach without Hooker on the roster).

The comparison to Hooker is especially frustrating. And it's completely unfair.

Hooker was a sixth-year senior at Tennessee in 2022. He had four years of experience at Virginia Tech plus a year of experience at Tennessee (in 2021) before going on that magical run in 2022.

Iamaleava, meanwhile, is a redshirt freshman who has six career starts under his belt (and he's 5-1 in those starts). How in the world can anyone make that comparison with a straight face?

But if folks still want to go down that road, then consider this: in Hooker's second start at Tennessee (which was the fourth game he played in at UT), he led the Vols' offense to just 14 points on the road against a Florida team that finished 6-7 (in 2021). Tennessee lost that game 38-14.

The Arkansas team that Tennessee lost to this past weekend is probably going to finish the regular season with six or seven wins. Maybe they get to eight wins with a bowl win. Essentially, the 2024 Arkansas team that the Vols scored just 14 points against is similar to the 2021 Florida team that Tennessee scored just 14 points against.

Hooker ended up being one of the most beloved quarterbacks in Tennessee history despite that rough game in Gainesville in 2021.

We've gotta stop with the hot takes after one tough game early in a player's career. It's not just foolish, it's ignorant. The story isn't over year for Nico at Tennessee. In fact, it's just getting started.

Related: Former Vol gets real about Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson's 'lackadaisical' comments after loss to Arkansas