Nico Iamaleava – Syndication Server

Jackson Arnold outside the top 10 in ESPN’s 2024 spring quarterback rankings

Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold just outside ESPN’s 10 ten QBs for the 2024 season ahead of spring ball.

Anytime you have turnover at quarterback, there are bound to be questions about how the offense will perform the following season.

The Sooners are one of the teams across the country that will be starting a new quarterback in 2024. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] takes over for [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], who transferred to Oregon. And while there may be some uncertainty, the Sooners have one of the best young quarterbacks in the country.

The former five-star prospect isn’t one of the favorites to win the Heisman in 2024 and at this point. At this point he’s just outside the top-10 of ESPN’s quarterback rankings heading into the spring. And a lot of where Arnold is ranked is likely related to his inexperience at the collegiate level.

The only player without much experience that’s ranked ahead of Arnold is Tennessee Volunteers quarterback [autotag]Nico Iamaleavea[/autotag].

Arnold has a lot of talent and is a highly-regarded quarterback, but he and Iamaleava have a lot to prove still. But they’ve got all the talent in the world, and both former five-star quarterbacks were able to get their first start during bowl season.

Arnold and Iamaleava will likely provide the fireworks in the Oklahoma Sooners first conference game in the SEC when they welcome the Tennessee Volunteers to town. That could be the start of a fantastic quarterback battle over the next several years. In the offenses they run with the talent that both schools possess, both former five-star quarterbacks could be dark-horse Heisman contenders in 2024 and frontrunners in 2025.

For the Sooners, everything is set up for Arnold to find himself ranked much higher in these quarterback rankings by the end of the season. The offensive line will come together and the Sooners have a deep pool of skill talent for Arnold to work with.

Here’s a look at ESPN’s top 10.

Where does Jackson Arnold rank in early 2024 Heisman odds according to Fan Duel?

Jackson Arnold is already getting some preseason Heisman buzz before his first year as a starter.

If you think [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] is going to win the [autotag]Heisman[/autotag] in 2024, now is the time to bet on it. You probably won’t see the odds this low again if he has the season you think he’s going to have.

Arnold is heading into his first year as the starting quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners. The sophomore quarterback showed flashes in games last year. Even though his bowl game was soured with all of the turnovers, he showed in that game why people are so high on him and his ability.

He’s definitely got all of the makings to be Oklahoma’s next great quarterback and Heisman contender. Arnold’s going to have plenty of opportunities to show out against several high-quality opponents.

So where does Arnold land in 2024 Heisman odds according to Fan Duel Sportsbook? Let’s take a look at the early contenders.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3006″ ] Fan Duel

Way too early 2024 SEC Football Power Rankings

The Sooners and Longhorns are making the jump to the SEC in 2024, so where do they land in our way-too-early power rankings?

In 2024, college football will look like nothing we’ve ever seen. Conference realignment did plastic surgery to the game we’ve grown up with.

The Pac-12 is essentially gone as Oregon, USC, Washington, and UCLA move to the Big Ten. The Big 12 added Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah. Stanford and Cal are off to the ACC, along with SMU getting a promotion from the AAC. The SEC is adding Texas and Oklahoma.

The College Football Playoff is expanding to 12 teams, coming off its most competitive four-team version.

All of this is happening in 2024.

It’s a new era of college football. For the SEC, the Sooners and Longhorns are coming off of double-digit win seasons and Texas made the playoff. But how do they stack up against their future SEC counterparts?

Here’s a look at our way-too-early SEC power rankings.

Way-too-early ranking of Oklahoma Football’s 2024 opponents

A way-too-early look at how the Oklahoma Sooners 2024 opponents stack up.

For all but two teams, the 2023 college football season has come to a close. That means it’s time to look ahead to the 2024 season.

After making significant improvements on both sides of the ball in 2023, the Sooners jumped from six to 10 wins in Brent Venables’ second season. But now they move to the SEC and are breaking in new coordinators on both sides of the ball.

Additionally, they’ll have a completely new offensive line from the group that started for the majority of the season and a new starting quarterback after [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] left for Oregon.

Jackson Arnold takes the reins at quarterback for the Sooners. Despite his Alamo Bowl performance, the ceiling is very high for Arnold and the Sooners offense.

But they’ve got a difficult schedule in 2024, in particular when they get to SEC play. But how would you rank their opponents in 2024? Here’s how we ranked them here at Sooners Wire.

Nico Iamaleava recaps first career win

Nico Iamaleava recaps first career win at Tennessee.

Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava made his first collegiate start for Tennessee in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl versus Iowa.

Iamaleava completed 12-of-19 passing attempts for 151 passing yards and one passing touchdown. He also totaled 15 rushing attempts for 27 yards and three touchdowns.

Iamaleava was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

He met with media following the contest and recapped his performance.

“Felt great,” Iamaleava said. “Finally, to play a whole game, I have not done that in a while. Felt good to get back out there and get my feet wet.

“I am proud of the guys and how they played. The receivers played a tremendous game, and o-line did good. Receivers did good. I still think there is a lot of room for us to get better.”

Iamaleava became the fourth true freshman quarterback to start a bowl game for Tennessee in program history, joining Tyler Bray (2010 Music City Bowl versus North Carolina), Casey Clausen (2001 Cotton Bowl versus Kansas State) and Peyton Manning (1994 Gator Bowl versus Virginia Tech).

PHOTOS: Tennessee defeats Iowa in 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl

PHOTOS: Nico Iamaleava wins first career start in Citrus Bowl

PHOTOS: Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava wins first career start in the Citrus Bowl versus Iowa

No. 23 Tennessee (9-4, 4-4 SEC) defeated No. 17 Iowa (10-4, 7-2 Big Ten), 35-0, Monday in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

Rankings reflect the US LBM Coaches Poll.

Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava made his first career start for Tennessee. He completed 12-of-19 passing attempts for 151 yards and one touchdown, while rushing for 27 yards and three touchdowns on 15 attempts.

Iamaleava was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. He started in replace of redshirt senior quarterback Joe Milton III. Milton III opted out of the contest to focus on the NFL draft.

Below are photos of Tennessee’s win versus Iowa at Camping World Stadium on New Year’s Day.

Vols shut out Iowa in Citrus Bowl

Tennessee shuts out Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.

No. 23 Tennessee (9-4, 4-4 SEC) defeated No. 17 Iowa (10-4, 7-2 Big Ten), 35-0, Monday in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

The Vols led, 14-0, at halftime as freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava, made his first career start. He scored two touchdown runs during the second quarter.

Iamaleava also had a 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to make the score, 21-0.

James Pearce Jr. scored on a 52-yard interception return with 14 minutes, 54 seconds remaining in the contest.

The Vols scored last with 4:48 remaining when Iamaleava completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end McCallan Castles.

Iamaleava completed 12-of-19 passing attempts for 151 passing yards and one passing touchdown. He also totaled 15 rushing attempts for 27 yards and three touchdowns en route to being named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

Dylan Sampson, also making his first start at Tennessee, recorded 133 rushing yards on 20 attempts. Ramel Keyton led the Vols with three receptions for 51 yards.

Tennessee’s defense held the Hawkeyes to 173 total yards. Iowa was shut out for the second consecutive game and third time this season.

Phil Parker details how Vols’ offense will not change with Nico Iamaleava

Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker details how Tennessee’s offense will not change with Nico Iamaleava.

Tennessee freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava will make his first career start versus Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day (1 p.m. EST, ABC).

The 6-foot-6, 206-pound freshman signal-caller appeared in four games for Tennessee during the 2023 regular-season.

Iamaleava completed 16-of-26 passing attempts for 163 yards and one touchdown. He recorded 44 rushing yards on five attempts.

Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker met with media on Friday. He discussed the Hawkeyes facing Iamaleava and the Vols’ offense.

“I don’t think the offense is going to change,” Parker said. “It’s been very similar to what he’s done in the past, but I think we have about 54 snaps on him. They are running the same offense, but he is a little bit different in style. Probably runs maybe a little bit better. I’m sure they have got some other things up their sleeve of what they want to do with them, but it’s going to be a challenge for us and we are going to be have to to be able to match their talent outside with the wide receivers they have and the ability to stop the run.

“I think that’s the most important thing that we have to do in any game. You have to make sure you stop the run and try to make them pass it, which, you know, they have a lot of explosive plays and one of our goals is making sure that we don’t give up explosive plays, so it’s definitely a challenge in that way.”

Aspects of Nico Iamaleava’s game that have taken biggest jump detailed

Aspects of Nico Iamaleava’s game that have taken the biggest jump are detailed.

Tennessee freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava will make his first career start against Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Kickoff between the Vols and Hawkeyes is slated for 1 p.m. EST at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

Iamaleava will become the fourth true freshman quarterback to start a bowl game for Tennessee in program history, joining Tyler Bray (2010 Music City Bowl versus North Carolina), Casey Clausen (2001 Cotton Bowl versus Kansas State) and Peyton Manning (1994 Gator Bowl versus Virginia Tech).

Tennessee offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle met with media on Friday. He discussed aspects of Iamaleava’s game that have taken the biggest jump from his vantage point.

“In his defensive recognition, he really dug into that,” Halzle said. “A lot of freshmen quarterbacks are like, cool, teach me the plays and I will figure it out. He really wanted to dive into, all right, how do I judge a defense, what am I getting as far as tips and how do I know when I’m getting pressure, when am I hot, when am I not. He has really dug into that. Like I said at the beginning, not like most true freshmen handle themselves. He was big into that side of it.

“Mechanically, when someone comes in as highly touted as he was, a lot of times, they feel like they are finished products. He was not. He wanted to come in and be like, all right, what do I need to do to take my physical game to the next level, as well. He came in and was completely open with tinkering with the mechanics, his lower body, all of that. That is why I think he has made the growth that he has and why I think the guys out there with him have the confidence that he will go perform at a high level when he is called upon.”

Cooper Mays details Nico Iamaleava being ‘the guy all throughout bowl prep’

Tennessee offensive lineman Cooper Mays details quarterback Nico Iamaleava being the guy all throughout bowl prep.

Senior offensive lineman Cooper Mays announced on Dec. 15 he will return to Tennessee in 2024.

Mays met with media on Friday ahead of the Vols’ matchup against Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day. He discussed freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava who is set to make his first career start versus the Hawkeyes.

“He has been the guy all throughout bowl prep,” Mays said. “He has done well for himself. Like coach (Joey Halzle) said, he does not really handle himself like a young guy. We have had a few weeks here to gel and come up and give him a chance to get ready for the game. He has done a really good job, and he has done the best he can with it.”

The 6-foot-6, 206-pound freshman signal-caller appeared in four games for Tennessee during the 2023 regular-season.

Iamaleava completed 16-of-26 passing attempts for 163 yards and one touchdown. He also recorded 44 rushing yards on five attempts.

Kickoff between the Vols and Hawkeyes is slated for 1 p.m. EST at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.