What Tier of Quarterback is Nico Iamaleava?

The Athletic released an overall tier ranking of college football quarterbacks ahead of the season, and UCLA's transfer redshirt sophomore Nico Iamaleava made the list.

The overall list of 136 players was broken into seven tiers. Iamaleava was placed at No. 19 and in tier three.

How the analysts, Sam Khan Jr. and Antonio Morales, defined a tier three signal-caller as such: "Most teams would be happy with a quarterback of this caliber. Great ability and a solid body of work, but they have some flaws. On their best days, they can be great, but there can be an underwhelming moment or two."

Iamaleava is the third-ranked tier three back on the list, behind Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Duke's Darian Mensah.

Here's what they had to say about the former Vol and why they ranked him at 19:

"Meet one of college football’s lightning rods, a player who has always been at the forefront of NIL drama — the latest being a failed holdout at Tennessee. Still, Iamaleava was a starting quarterback on a Playoff team last season, and the physical tools are obvious. “Extremely athletic, a better runner than people give him credit for,” an SEC assistant coach said. “Cannon for an arm, accurate, capable of making every throw.”

"Last season, Iamaleava’s first as a starter, demonstrated the former five-star prospect is still very much a work in progress. Although Tennessee did reach the Playoff, the Volunteers' run game and defense led the way. Now he’ll be tasked with leading a UCLA squad with a weaker supporting cast on offense, a first-time play caller in OC Tino Sunseri and a defense that’s middle of the road at best.

"Iamaleava faces a tall order but also a chance to outperform this ranking if he plays well."

NFL Draft analyst Nick Baumgardner contributed to Iamaleava's ranking. Here's what he had to say:

"A tall, skinny athlete with quick feet and an even quicker release, Iamaleava is a good deep-ball thrower when he’s set, and he has enough arm talent to drive the ball down the middle into tight windows. He’s also inconsistent with his drops, however, and an average processor. It’s hard to tell if his successes in the veer-and-shoot offense (for which he’s perfect) will translate to the NFL."