Nico Iamealeva has started one college football game but is probably better known than the majority of college quarterbacks who have started an entire season. Fans might not can pronounce his last name, but they know it.
How could they not?
Look at how much attention he got for the alleged multi-million-dollar NIL deal he signed with Tennessee’s sports collective before he became a Vol. Now, he’s the subject of an investigation into allegations that the Vols might have violated NCAA rules in pursuit of the five-star quarterback from California.
In between NIL and NCAA speculation, Iamaleava played sparingly as a freshman before leading the Vols to victory against Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. More publicity could be on the way if the NCAA keeps trying to enforce a rule that won’t survive a court test.
You know what comes with all that publicity: Pressure. That’s a good thing for Iamaleava and Tennessee. The more pressure you get, the better  you learn to cope with it.
A quarterback doesn’t need NIL and NCAA initials attached to his name to feel pressure. It comes with the position, which is the most difficult to play in sports although you can’t tell it by watching Patrick Mahomes run and pass his way through a Super Bowl.
As good as I think Iamaleava will be, I wouldn’t compare him to a quarterback who’s already being mentioned in the same circles with the game’s greatest players, and he’s not even 30.
However, Iamaleava possesses some of the same skills as Mahomes, though we saw little of them in 2023 when he earned a redshirt. Iamaleava showed off a good arm and exceptional football instincts. And he proved to be much more agile than you would expect of someone who’s 6-foot-6.
He might be 6-6. But the expectations are 10-6.
I don’t believe pressure to perform will faze Iamaleava. There was nothing in the Iowa-Tennessee video that would tell you Iamaleava was uncomfortable in his first start.
He completed 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards and ran for three touchdowns in UT’s 35-0 victory. Those stats didn’t show his potential, though.
When he carried the ball, his goal-line intuition was that of a seasoned running back. He also made enough better-than-average throws to make Tennessee fans wish they could have fast-forwarded to the 2024 season as soon as got his hands on the Citrus Bowl MVP trophy.
They will have to wait months for that. They also will have to work their way through all the speculation about Iamleava’s NIL payoff, and the possibility of an NCAA payback effort for how UT breezed through their last skirmish with the governing body of college sports.
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But amid all the speculation and conspiracy theories, we know the court is in favor of student-athletes profiting from their name, image, and likeness. Any NCAA rule that says otherwise ultimately is assured of being busted.
In the meantime, Iamaleava could become a household name in college football and a Tennessee folk hero.
John Adams is senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Nico Iamaleava could be Tennessee football folk hero before 2024 season
