Tennessee Vols quarterback Nico Iameleava only has one career collegiate start under his belt, but that isn't stopping the former five-star recruit from receiving some early 2026 NFL Draft hype.
Earlier this offseason, Pro Football Focus detailed the top 10 quarterbacks for the 2024 NFL Draft if every player in college football were eligible.
Iamaleava didn't make PFF's top 10 list for the 2024 NFL Draft, but he was pointed out by the national sports media outlet as the top quarterback to watch for the 2026 NFL Draft.
PFF's Max Chadwick suggested that Iamaleava has the "highest ceiling" of the quarterbacks who will be eligible for the draft in 2026.
From PFF: While no 2026 quarterback cracked the top 10, that was more due to a lack of playing time than potential. There were five true freshman quarterbacks last year who were top-15 overall recruits coming out of high school. Since 2004, the previous high in a class was three.
The one with the highest ceiling of them all is Iamaleava. At 6-foot-6, he has a strong arm to pair with impressive mobility at that size. The true freshman made his lone start in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa. Despite the Hawkeyes featuring one of the best defenses in the country, he finished with an 84.9 PFF grade, two big-time throws and three rushing touchdowns in the 35-0 victory. With starter Joe Milton III off to the NFL, Iamaleava can stake his claim as the 2026 QB1 as the full-time starter next season.
Iamaleava obviously has to perform up to expectations this fall for the draft hype to continue into next offseason. But there's no doubt that the California native has the tools to be an early round NFL draft selection -- strong arm, ideal size, speed, maturity, and football acumen.
Combine that with the fact that Iamaleava will be playing in an offense that lets the quarterback "rip it all over the field" and it's easy to see how NFL teams could fall in love with the Tennessee quarterback ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
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