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.

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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.