Ranking Nico Iamaleava's 2024 Performances: #12 Georgia

Nico Iamaleava is one of the largest topics of conversation in college football ahead of his redshirt sophomore season with the UCLA Bruins.

After a stellar redshirt freshman season with the Tennessee Volunteers that led them to their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, Iamaleava entered the transfer portal after a NIL dispute that was largely publicized, making him one of the most polarizing figures in college football.

He finished last season leading the Vols to a 10-3 record and passed for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions on 63.8% (213-334) completion percentage. With that being said, let's rank Iamaleava's best performances of the season, starting with No. 12 -- Nov. 16 at Georgia.

Ranked seventh at the time, Tennessee was shut out in the second half by the Bulldogs (ranked 12th at the time) despite jumping out to a 10-0 lead. This loss snapped a four-game winning streak and was the Vols' second of the season.

Iamaleava finished with 167 passing yards on 20-of-33 (60.6%) completions. He was sacked five times and ran for just 18 yards on 12 carries. He finished with a passer rating of 103.1 (his lowest of the regular season) and an ESPN Adjusted QBR rating of 72.3.

This was the third game of the season in which Iamaleava didn't have a passing or rushing touchdown. The others were a 23-17 win in October against Florida and a 19-14 loss to Arkansas the week before that.

Tennessee's only points came from a one-yard touchdown run by tight end Miles Kitselman, a 52-yard Max Gilber field goal, and a Dylan Sampson rushing touchdown in the second quarter. The Vols couldn't overcome Georgia's defense after halftime.

This game, similar to No. 13, was not a great showing from Iamaleava, who was a redshirt freshman at the time. However, I'd argue that he showed he's able to put together long drives down the field against even the best defenses in college football.

Sure, it was a bad game on paper, but a talent like Iamaleava will only get better. Not to mention, the Big Ten arguably doesn't have the talent to stack up against the SEC. This means that, along with an anticipated talent leap, Iamaleava should be one of the better backs in the conference.