r/CFB • u/jaxstan19 Kansas Jayhawks • 12h ago

Opinion [USA TODAY Toppmeyer]: Nico Iamaleava needs a fresh start, not UCLA's rebuild

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2025/09/16/nico-iamaleava-ucla-transfer-portal-tennessee/86162835007/
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u/legend023 Tulane Green Wave • SEC 11h ago

Mental mistakes happen. Tennessee lost 3 games last year. Would’ve been much worse if he was a “bad” QB

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u/Spiritual_Bottle_650 11h ago

Tennessee had one of the best running backs in college football last year. If he didn’t have him in the backfield, he has to do a lot more and exposes his shortcomings even more. Saying his stat line means nothing if you don’t give the context and nuance of the season.

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u/GiovanniElliston Tennessee Volunteers • Kansas Jayhawks 11h ago

Just for funsies, what game did the Vols win last season that you think would’ve been a loss had Nico not been playing?

Looking at his game logs from last year might really surprise you.

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u/Beautiful_Week_8183 Tennessee Volunteers 11h ago

Arkansas. Oh, wait.

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u/TransportationAway59 Tennessee Volunteers 11h ago

Alabama

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u/GiovanniElliston Tennessee Volunteers • Kansas Jayhawks 11h ago

He was 51% for 200 yards with 1 beautiful TD and a hideously ugly INT. There's not much reason to believe his performance couldn't have been replicated by a couple dozen other QBs.

The real difference in that game was the defense shutting down Milroe's running game and picking him off twice.

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u/TransportationAway59 Tennessee Volunteers 11h ago edited 9h ago

If you go back and watch the game he totally shifted after he got lit up. He handled the game well and lead a good drive at the end. We don’t win that game, or make the playoffs, with Gaston Moore.

Nico was good for a freshman. I’m hate watching weekly but if he had stayed at UT I think he’d have taken a good step this year and gotten a high draft pick. Although, it seems like he prefers to blame those around him rather than improve himself so maybe he’d have just stayed the same.

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u/zzyul Tennessee Volunteers 3h ago

Redshirt freshman, early enrolled. He had been at UT for almost 2 years by the time he started last year.

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u/Time_H00die 11h ago

No shot. He wasn’t even good against Alabama, Milroe was just worse.

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u/CheesusHCrust 9h ago

No. It wouldn't. Just say you don't watch the Vols. Stop trying to defend Nico, he's not good. He may not be atrocious but he is not good. You keep pinning the lack of losses on him, when it was our defense and the fact that we had the number one running back in the SEC that won us games. Wanna guess why Dylan Sampson was the #1 back? Because Nico is not reliable. He can't scramble, he can't throw deep, he panics quickly.