Nico Iamaleava has proven to be a real asset for Tennessee football in its College Football Playoff berth.
The redshirt freshman has thrown for 2,512 yards, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions in his first season as the starter for the Vols (10-2, 6-2 SEC). He has also added 389 rushing yards and a touchdown as a rusher. Iamaleava has been a massive part of Tennessee’s success as it prepares to take on No. 8 Ohio State in the first round of the CFP at 8 p.m. Saturday from Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
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Iamaleava, the country’s No. 3 player in the 2023 recruiting class and its No. 2-ranked quarterback, per 247Sports’ Composite rankings, makes it look effortless on the football field with his natural ability. However, fans don’t have an easy time pronouncing his name.
As Tennessee looks to make a deep run in the CFP, starting with Ohio State in the first round, here’s a quick guide on how to correctly pronounce the Vols QB’s name:
According to his player profile, Tennessee’s QB’s name is pronounced “ee-ah-MAH-LAY-ah-va.”
On Dec. 21, 2022, the Vols X account (formerly Twitter) shared a video of Iamaleava telling fans how to pronounce his name correctly:
Iamaleava is of Samoan descent. His parents are Nicholaus Iamaleava Sr. and Marleinna Iamaleava, and he grew up in the Long Beach, California, area.
Ahead of the 2024 season, Iamaleava was named to the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award Watch List. Before coming to Knoxville to play for the Vols, he played in the Polynesian Bowl in January 2023 in Hawaii and threw for 186 yards to lead his team to a 22-17 win.
