Tennessee will have its starting quarterback against Georgia on Saturday night.
According to multiple reportsNico Iamaleava has been cleared from the concussion protocol and will start for the No. 7 Volunteers in Athens versus the No. 12 Bulldogs. Iamaleava missed the second half of the Vols’ win over Mississippi State in Week 11.
On Monday, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said Iamaleava would be good to go this weekend. But he had to go through concussion protocol, a development that became public on Tuesday.
Iamaleava is 144 of 221 passing for 1,879 yards and has thrown for 11 touchdowns and four interceptions this season. He entered the season as the Heisman favorite, although he has fallen out of that race as Tennessee’s offense struggled to find explosive plays during SEC play.
Had Iamaleava missed Saturday’s game, Gaston Moore would have been in line for his first start. Moore replaced Iamaleava in the second half against Mississippi State and was 5-of-8 passing for 38 yards.
Georgia is likely playing for its College Football Playoff life on Saturday night. The Bulldogs fell to the top team out of 12 in Tuesday’s rankings and would fall further with a third loss. With games remaining against UMass and Georgia Tech, it seems unlikely that Georgia can reach the playoffs at 9-3.
Tennessee, meanwhile, may have a path to the playoffs even if it loses on Saturday night. The Vols could finish the season at 10-2 with wins over UTEP and Vanderbilt to close out the season. That could be good enough to sneak into the field, depending on how the rest of the conference goes.
