Nico Iamaleava’s Tennessee Future Sees New Twist as Josh Heupel Makes Surprising 235lb Move for $8M QB

Josh Heupel arrived in Knoxville at Tennesee Volunteers, looking to make the Vols an elite program. His first season ended with the Vols finishing at a 7-6 record, a huge improvement from their previous year. His second saw the team embarking on a breathtaking run that saw him winning the SEC Coach of the Year after leading the team to an 11-2 finish. From that season on the Vols never looked back as they are still out to register themselves amongst the tier 1 programs of the country. Then came the 2024 season.

The Vols finished the season at 10-3 and made it the first time to the playoffs. History was being written every day for Vols, and the future was looking bright. But then came their dreaded loss to Ohio State. A 42-17 dismantling. by Ryan Day and his boys. Questions started to arise about Heupel and Nico Iamaleava, and fans turned against them (in a sense). After all, Heupel had shown that the Vols can dream. And, to see that dream turn into a nightmare? No one was ready. But, going into the 2025 season, Heupel has now raised the stakes and is leaving no stone unturned to make that dream a reality.

Heupel started this with his 2025 recruitment class. That is ranked 10th nationally and 7th in the SEC. But don’t just go on the rankings. It has more to offer than it promises. Take, for instance, Heupel’s bargain steal of 6 foot 4 and 235 lbs edge rusher Jayden Loftin. A 4-star rated Somerville High School graduate from New Jersey is so underrated that other schools are now realizing what more they would have done to land him. Eric Cain, the host of ‘Locked on Vols‘ podcast and Vols insiders, provided some insights on that.

“Loftin made life difficult for opposing quarterbacks at his level.  Obviously, he was the best player when he stepped on the field, and that’s usually the case for any Southeastern Conference High School Prospect, but Jaden feels like a guy that nobody’s talking about, and again, I think health and his injury had a whole lot to do with it. So he’s one of those who are super underrated, in my opinion“. For context, Jayden had torn his ACL starting in his senior season at High School. That was one of the reasons he missed his senior season. But, now he has overcome that and working a lot towards it. Eric Cain provided the update.

“The fact that he had an injury early on this past fall in his senior season and missed some time. It’s not like he’s coming in here with any juice, if you will. But he has a nice frame, nice measurable 6’4, about 240 lbs, and of course, he’s going to put a lot of weight on when he gets here, and he’s already starting that process right now for Tennessee“. Imagine what the defense would be like with him and players like 4-star Ethan Utley, Jaedon Harmon, and 5-star rated Isaiah Campbell. It will not only improve the defense that was very effective in the 2024 season too. But, it will also help Nico Iamaleavea in seeking redemption for his 2024 season by winning the SEC (food for thought?). And it seems Nico is upping the ante for that, too.

Nico Iamaleava out for redemption?

Well, Nico had a season that was subjected to much criticism in 2024. Experts and analysts went as far as to say that the player has hit his ceiling. Too harsh, right? Yes, It is. For one, Nico’s struggles were more or less attributed to the WR’s room not putting enough effort into him. Furthermore, their O-line was also very leaky, as they allowed 30 sacks on the redshirt freshman QB. The only reason the Vols made it to playoffs was largely due to their incredible defense that carried much of the team. But Nico has come up with a statement.

“This is why I came to Tennessee, not to break records or anything else like that or to be known by all the fans out there. It’s about this team, my brothers. We want to win that last game of the season. I think I’ve gotten better each game. I still feel like I haven’t played my best game yet, really our whole team, but we’re looking to put that together”. Now you know where Nico stands in terms of rectifying his errors and making the team more formidable in offense. Furthermore, he has added a feather to his hat.

Apart from being one of the rarest QBs to achieve the feat by leading his team to the 12-team playoffs. He has also recently signed a NIL deal worth $8 Million with Spyre Sports and has become one of the biggest faces of college football. The only thing remaining on his resume is that SEC title or maybe the Natty trophy (what’s wrong with dreaming). So, it looks like he is coming back for redemption, and this time, it’s looking like the real deal.