The Josh Heupel era in Rocky Top came with a resurgence of the Tennessee offense and coincided with an equally seismic shift recruiting some of the top offensive prospects around the country.
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No player embodies this new chapter of Volunteers football more than Nico Iamaleava, entering what should be a breakout season as he gets his first full offseason preparing as the QB1. Signing Iamaleava in 2023 was the start of a trend for Tennessee inking some of the top passers in the nation year in and year out, a theme that's recently been amplified by the addition of the 2026 QB Faizon Brandon.