Why Tennessee threatens to bust 2024 Blue-Chip Ratio with Nico Iamaleava spearheading Josh Heupel’s offense

Tuesday’s grand unveiling of the annual Blue-Chip Ratio offered a glimpse at the teams history says are capable of winning college football’s 2024 national title. Unsurprisingly, the highest percentage of four- and five-star prospects in recent years began with Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia.

But there was a big-name brand noticeably absent from the list that could have the ingredients to do what Washington did a year ago and make a national title push, despite missing the Blue-Chip Ratio. That team — identified by BCR author Bud Elliott as an outlier to watch — is Tennessee.

“By the ‘narrowly misses the minimum threshold + transcendent QB’ standard, Tennessee (46%) is the most obvious candidate to bust the ratio in 2024,” Elliot wrote. “QB Nico Iamaleava has special physical talent, and if Tennessee can stay healthy at offensive line and in the secondary, perhaps the Volunteers could pull off something special.”

Tennessee is 20-6 over the past two seasons under coach Josh Heupel and has already threatened to bust the BCR once under his direction. The Volunteers narrowly missed out on the four-team College Football Playoff in 2022, finishing 11-2 with an Orange Bowl victory, after rising to No. 1 in that season’s initial CFP Rankings.

Though the Vols dipped to 9-4 in 2023, the 2024 team may share a critical trait with the 2022 Vols: elite quarterback play — or, at least, the potential for it. Former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker finished fifth in the 2022 Heisman Trophy voting and would have finished even higher if he hadn’t missed the season’s end due to injury. Iamaleava is experienced, but the Vols have great expectations for him. 

All-in on Nico Iamaleava

After spending a season as Joe Milton’s apprentice, Iamaleava looks…

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Author : David Cobb

Publish date : 2024-06-26 14:55:19

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