Is Nico Iamaleava playing today? Tennessee QB's availability for Week 7 explored

The Tennessee Volunteers are set to host the Florida Gators on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. Tennessee is a 14.5-point favorite.

The Volunteers are coming off a disappointing 19-14 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks in a game quarterback Nico Iamaleava didn't play well in. So, will he remain Tennessee's quarterback in Week 7?

Is Nico Iamaleava playing today?

Nico Iamaleava will play on Saturday - Source: Imagn

Nico Iamaleava will start today for the Tennessee Volunteers in Week 7 at home against the Florida Gators.

Iamaleava is coming off a poor performance against Arkansas, as the redshirt freshman went 17 for 29 for 158 yards and didn't throw a touchdown or a pick. It's his third straight game of not throwing for 200+ yards, as since the first two games he hasn't taken over a game.

Although Iamaleava did struggle against Arkansas, he will remain the starting quarterback for Tennessee against Florida.

"At the end of the day, in that scenario, you have to get the ball up and give one of your guys the opportunity to go make the play," Vols coach Josh Heupel said. "Nico, just like me and just like our football team, wishes we would have played better. That situation you can't keep the ball in your hands you want to give somebody the opportunity to go make the play."

Iamaleava did run out of bounds with no time on the clock as Tennessee needed a touchdown, which was a mistake he made. However, Heupel and the Volunteers still have plenty of confidence in the redshirt freshman.

Although Iamaleava has not played well as of late, Gators coach Billy Napier still thinks defending him will cause lots of problems for his defense.

“He is a unicorn,” Napier said this week. “This guy is 6-6. I don’t know how much he weighs, but he is a big, athletic — he is ripping balls in the outside third, 15, 20 yards deep. He is throwing all the vertical shots. He has a big-time arm. He is accurate. He can escape, extend.”

Nico Iamaleava is 78-for-117 for 1,050 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions.