Tennessee

Will Josh Heupel’s QB luck with Tennessee football go beyond Nico Iamaleava? | Adams

Published

2 years ago

January 16, 2024

Will Josh Heupel’s QB luck with Tennessee football go beyond Nico Iamaleava? | Adams

Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel has a great track record with quarterbacks. And since joining the Vols, he has a lucky track record with quarterbacks.

That’s worth noting as he begins assembling his fourth Tennessee team.

Consider how lucky he was that former coach Jeremy Pruitt did one thing right in three years, which otherwise were distinguished by mishaps. Pruitt signed Virginia Tech transfer quarterback Hendon Hooker.

Heupel didn’t realize his good fortune when he replaced Pruitt after the 2020 season. Why would he? Since most of Pruitt’s decisions had proved detrimental to Tennessee football, Heupel probably assumed any Pruitt decision fell in the bad-to-disastrous range.

But Pruitt was right about Hooker. And Heupel was wrong. Unconvinced that Hooker was the right quarterback for his offense, he pursued Michigan transfer quarterback Joe Milton after spring practice. Milton signed and became the starter in 2021.

He held the job for about a game and a half. After a loss to Pittsburgh, Hooker took charge and the offense took off. He quickly established himself as a perfect fit for Heupel’s offense as well as Tennessee’s best quarterback since Peyton Manning.

Milton regained his starting role after Hooker’s departure and took every meaningful snap in an 8-4 regular season. He wasn’t nearly as proficient as Hooker, but he was durable. Heupel was lucky about that, too.

He played his second-best quarterback throughout the regular season and still ended up winning nine games when the Vols beat Iowa 35-0 in the Citrus Bowl behind freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

You could argue that Iamaleava wouldn’t have been that good at the start of the season or even in the middle of the season. But you’re kidding yourself if you think Milton was a better fit for the offense than Iamaleava is. It’s not even close.

At the very least, Heupel should have had a goal-line package for Iamaleava, whose terrific running instincts would have paid off inside the 20-yard line.

The best argument for not playing Iamaleava: What if he had gotten hurt? Now, the Vols have a healthy, redshirted Iamaleava with four more seasons of eligibility. But do you really think he won’t go pro early?

Heupel won’t have to sweat his next quarterback decision. Iamaleava is as much a sure thing as Hooker was in 2022. But Heupel would be wise to handle his backup quarterback better.

Iamaleava obviously has what it takes to become a top-tier SEC quarterback. But how durable will he be? You won’t know that until next season. Heupel needs to have a backup plan, just in case.

The Vols signed four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger in their 2024 recruiting class. The signing might have garnered more attention if Iamaeava hadn’t already been on board. However, Merklinger will begin next season – just as Iamaleava did in 2023 – as UT’s backup quarterback. And you want your backup quarterback adequately prepared to become the starting quarterback.

Iamaleava hardly played this past season. He didn’t even play in some games against outmanned opponents.

Next season, Heupel needs to give Merklinger more playing time than Iamaleava got as a freshman. Redshirting shouldn’t be a goal for your backup quarterback.

When I look at Tennessee’s schedule, I see four games that qualify as sure wins, starting with Chattanooga in the season opener. The Vols can be just as confident of victories against Kent State, UTEP and Vanderbilt. Those three teams had a combined record of 6-30 this past season.

You need to play your backup quarterback in games like that. And don’t wait until the game is well in hand. Give him a first-quarter series with your starting offense. Against teams of that caliber, surely you can risk one series with a backup quarterback.

The risk would be worth it if your quarterback luck runs out.

ADAMS: Nico Show opens to rave reviews for Tennessee football. He was as good as billed vs Iowa

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.

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Tennessee

Tennessee lawmakers discuss priorities for upcoming session

Published

11 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee lawmakers discuss priorities for upcoming session

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Tennessee lawmakers are preparing to discuss hundreds of bills as the state legislature convenes, with mental health funding emerging as a priority for two lawmakers.

State Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, and state Sen. Becky Massey, R-Knox County, said mental health care funding will be a focus of upcoming legislative conversations.

“It’s been a big topic,” McKenzie said.

“That’s going to be very top of my mind as far as working and advocating for that,” Massey said.

Massey, who chairs the Transportation Committee, said the state needs more money for road expansion. She expressed concerns about insufficient funding for billion of dollars worth of road projects.

“People are paying less to drive on our roads and the cost of building roads are going up. So your gas tax is going down, the cost of building roads is going up,” Massey said.

McKenzie stressed the need for more public education funding following the first year of families using state dollars for private school through the voucher program.

“In Knox County, our numbers are up. Actually, in Memphis, their numbers are up, so I think some of the changes we’ve made in regard to public education and putting a few more dollars in, I think we can continue that process,” McKenzie said.

State House Speaker Cameron Sexton has said he wants to at least double the voucher program to offer it to 40,000 to 50,000 families. Both Massey and McKenzie expressed skepticism about the expansion.

“This isn’t about those kids in failing schools, this is about their friends, the rich or almost rich, that are just wanting a check from the government,” McKenzie said.

Massey cited revenue concerns about the expansion.

“I’m not getting the vibes that there is going to be enough revenue to do that because we’ve got other funding needs also,” Massey said.

Massey added the state could expand the program this year, but perhaps to 5,000 more families.

The General Assembly will reconvene next Tuesday.

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Tennessee

Deputies perform ‘life-saving measures’ after 5-year-old falls into swimming pool in Tennessee

Published

23 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Deputies perform ‘life-saving measures’ after 5-year-old falls into swimming pool in Tennessee

FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Tennessee sheriff’s office is asking the community to pray for a family whose 5-year-old was hospitalized after falling into a swimming pool.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said deputies and family members were “administering life-saving measures” Thursday afternoon after pulling the child out of the water.

The child was then transferred to a hospital, where they are still being treated.

“The child was subsequently transported to the hospital, where they are currently receiving medical care‚” said a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office. “Out of respect for the family’s privacy, no further details will be released at this time.”

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Tennessee

Why first quarter was ‘crucial’ in Mississippi State’s loss to Tennessee

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Why first quarter was ‘crucial’ in Mississippi State’s loss to Tennessee

Sam Purcell felt good about the game plan for Mississippi State women’s basketball’s matchup with Tennessee.

But the Bulldogs gave up 26 points in the first quarter and trailed by seven points. It was a deficit they never recovered from in a 90-80 loss to the Lady Vols at Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 8.

“You look at that that first quarter, I thought it was crucial. We had a great scout, a great game plan, but we didn’t talk on ball screens,” Purcell said. “Their largest quarter was that first quarter, and we’re going to watch back and go, dang it, we need to be more vocal. And you got to give them credit – top to bottom, they’re probably as good as anybody in the country with athleticism. So you can’t let those athletic kids turn the corner for wide open layups, and we did.”

Kharyssa Richardson and Madison Francis led the Bulldogs with 22 points each, but MSU didn’t have enough defense to pull off the upset.

Had Mississippi State been able to slow down Tennessee’s drivers in the first quarter, it may have been a different result. But once the Bulldogs started slowing that down, the Lady Vols were “phenomenal hitting some big-time shots,” Purcell said.

Tennessee only had the edge in points in the paint, 42-40, but it also went 10-for-27 on 3-pointers, which was an area Mississippi State couldn’t match. The Bulldogs shot 2-for-13 from deep.

MSU also couldn’t stop Tennessee freshman point guard Mia Pauldo, who scored a game-high 26 points on 8-for-12 shooting. The Bulldogs sent her to the foul line time and time again, and she went 8-for-9 on free throws.

“I thought (Pauldo) was poised, she was clutch,” Purcell said. “Obviously, that’s what you need in games like this that are gonna come down the to the wire. You need players to step up, and I thought she was the X factor for them.”

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