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Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava's Helmet Shattered After Brutal Hit by Ohio State Defender

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | Last updated Dec 21, 2024 10:23 PM ET

We know that the Ohio State Buckeyes have arguably the best defense in the nation this year, with big hitters stacked up and down the roster.

On Saturday night in the first-round College Football Playoff game against the Tennessee Volunteers, we got to see just how big of hitters they have.

On a run play for Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava Jr. in the first quarter, a massive hit ended up cracking open the QB's helmet and splitting the plastic near the crown. While the cold weather in Columbus — 25 degrees at kickoff — likely had something to do with it, the hit was massive, and directly to the head of Iamaleava.

Ohio State cracked Nico Iamaleava’s helmet on the first possession pic.twitter.com/HKmFThohVy
— Connor O'Gara (@cjogara) December 22, 2024

Nico's helmet CRACKED on this hit. I'm hearing he did a SHAAKE after but wasn't evaluated. Anyone have video of the post-hit headshake? pic.twitter.com/fsAzhTzwZG
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) December 22, 2024

Iamaleava was okay after the play, but he had to get a new helmet on the sideline and have it fit with the in-helmet communication that quarterbacks are allowed to use, which is new this year.

Meanwhile, the Ohio State defense continued to show that they mean business, holding the Volunteers to 16 yards through the first quarter. The Buckeyes' offense also showed that it was in dominant form, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions of the game and jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Buckeyes were seven-point favorites coming into this game, but the early signs show that it may end up being a blowout before all is said and done.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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