The Prince Who Was Promised: Nico shines in the season opener

Tennessee took down UT-Chattanooga in spectacular fashion Saturday afternoon and Redshirt Freshman Quarterback Nico Iamaleava showed why he can solidify himself as a top Quarterback in the country.

The Volunteers imposed their will upon UT-Chattanooga ending the game with over 700 yards of total offense. One of the biggest stories coming out of the game was Nico breaking the single-half record for passing yards in program history with 314. Nico hit the ground running and led 7 consecutive scoring drives to start the game. This is encouraging to see because even though it is UT-Chattanooga he left no doubt in the eyes of Vol Nation that this football team has a shot at being something special. At times last year against lesser opponents the team looked ill-prepared and plain bad on offense, but not in this one.

Nico showed pace, poise, anticipation, and an IQ that gives him the potential to be one of the best Quarterbacks in the country. Tennessee’s offense showed its famous urgency again, which it lacked last year under Quarterback Joe Milton. Nico got his guys to the line, got the play in, and executed at warp speed in a way that if done consistently can help him lead this offense just like Hendon Hooker.

Nico was putting balls just out of reach for defenders, and hitting his receivers in stride. That is what the kids today like to call, “Throwing a Dot.” Tennesse’s young signal caller lived up to the hype in his first start in Neyland. With the team around him and a gifted skillset, Nico has a real shot at solidifying himself in Tennessee History, as well as College Football history. No matter what happens this upcoming season, Tennessee fans should be optimistic about the 5-star phenom from Southern California, because he may just bring Tennessee their first-ever Heisman trophy and potentially a National Title.