PAUL FINEBAUM IDENTIFIES SEC QUARTERBACK THAT COULD BE DOMINANT IN 2024

The first three years of the Josh Heupel era at Tennessee have been highly successful. Heupel is 27-12 and has led the Volunteers to back-to-back bowl victories, but the next step is for Tennessee to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

In 2024, Heupel will have his third quarterback in the last four seasons. In his first two seasons, the Volunteers were led by Hendon Hooker. Last year, Joe Milton took over, and this upcoming year, former five-star Nico Iamaleava will be the starter.

ESPN's Paul Finebaum believes that Iamaleava is a massive upgrade over Milton, and the Volunteers could be in for a great season behind the talented signal caller. 

"It is a significant upgrade over last year," Finebaum said. "Nico has a chance to be dominant. I think he's already shown that in the bowl game and a little bit during the season. I'm very upbeat on Tennessee with Nico and I really believe it is going to be a really big year."

Iamaleava started Tennessee's bowl game against Iowa, leading the Volunteers to a 35-0 victory over the Hawkeyes. He completed 12-of-19 passes for 151 yards, one passing touchdown, and three rushing touchdowns. His spectacular performance has many experts tabbing Tennessee as a potential dark horse in the SEC next season.

Should Iamaleava have the breakout season that Finebaum anticipates, the Volunteers could return to contention, similar to its 2022 performance when Tennessee finished 11-2 and secured the No. 6 spot in the final College Football Playoff rankings.

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2024-06-25T18:34:00Z dg43tfdfdgfd