Did Nico Iamaleava play volleyball? Revisiting the ex-Tennessee QB's athletic past

Prior to being the starting quarterback for the Tennessee Volunteers, Nico Iamaleava played volleyball for the Long Beach Poly High School Jackrabbits. He played a total of three games between the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons. However, the college football star was considered one of the country's top high school volleyball players.

On May 10, 2022, 562.org's Mike Guardabascio spoke with the multi-sport athlete after his final game of the season about wanting to play volleyball instead of needing to compete.

"My dad has talked to me about it plenty of times, and I know the deal, I know what's out there for me. I don't need volleyball, it's a want for me," Iamaleava said.

The Long Beach sports writer noted that the quarterback played one game in the 2020- 2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The multi-sport athlete only played in two matchups the following season because he had to wait for approval to be eligible to play for the Jackrabbits after transferring to Warren High School and returning to Long Beach Poly High School to end his volleyball career.

Following his last volleyball season, he transferred from Long Beach Poly High School to play football with the Warren High School Bears for his senior year.

The former Warren High School quarterback threw for 1,726 yards and 25 touchdowns before he joined the 2023 Tennessee freshman class.

Nico Iamaleava's first two years in college football with the Tennessee Volunteers

Iamaleava started his college football career as a backup quarterback to Joe Milton III. He played in five games in the 2023 season, and the Volunteers ended the season with a 9-4 record.

As a redshirted freshman, he had 28 completed passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns. His best performance of his first year in Tennessee was in the team's 35-0 victory against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2024. The former volleyball high school star completed 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown.

He became the starting quarterback last season and led the Volunteers to a 10-3 record, which earned them a spot in the College Football Playoff. Iamaleava completed 213 passes for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns.

On Dec. 21, 2024, the quarterback played his final game with Tennessee in a 42-17 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the tournament's first round. He completed 14 of 31 passes for 104 yards. The former Volunteers star also had 20 carries for 47 yards and two touchdowns.

On Wednesday, Iamaleava entered the transfer portal to join a new team for his sophomore year.