🏈 Nico and the... Heisman?

Hello. This is the Josh and Swain Newsletter, a quick roundup of the week’s top stories and topics involving Tennessee and the sports world.

Here’s what we have for you today:

• The Nico Hype Train is already barreling down the tracks

• Four Factors for Tennessee to beat North Carolina State on Saturday

• Remaining questions ahead of the Vols’ second game of the season

• Tennessee’s game in North Carolina is about more than beating NC State

🎁 Some cool news: We’ve teamed up with Rainbox for another giveaway — this time to win one of their orange and white corduroy Tennessee hats!

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The giveaway will end at 11:59 PM ET on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

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Now to the newsletter…

HOW FAR CAN NICO TAKE TENNESSEE?

Tennessee has played one game this season, and the Nico Iamaleava hype train has already left the station. 

Yes, Tennessee’s first game of the season was against Chattanooga. 

But that hasn’t stopped national analysts and media members from hopping on board the Nico Express. 

Against Chattanooga, Iamaleava threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns in one half of football.

His 314 passing yards set a school record for a single half.

But it wasn’t the numbers that wowed people – it was the way he delivered those passes to his teammates.

Here is a collection of some — not all — of the Nico praise from around the country this week.

◼️ Urban Meyer, via The Triple Option podcast 

◼️ Roman Harper, via SEC Network 

◼️ Rick Neuheisel, via CBS Sports

◼️ Josh Pate, via Josh Pate’s College Football Show 

The Heisman Trophy…

And Josh Pate wasn’t the only one to bring it up this week.

ESPN’s Peter Burns was in Knoxville last weekend for the SEC Network to see Iamaleava first-hand. 

Burns went on TV after his trip and brought up Iamaleava and the Heisman.

Burns did so again when he joined us on Josh and Swain on Wednesday, pointing to Nico’s presence on and off the field:

This probably feels like too much too soon.

And maybe it is… the Vols haven’t even played an FBS team this season.

But Nico has wowed is his two career starts.

Behind the scenes, he has made everyone believe he’s ready to play at the highest level.

The other thing that will scare opponents: Iamaleava has plenty of time to improve.

What does that mean for Tennessee as a team and program?

Well, let’s dive into that next. Because this Saturday will be about more than just Nico.

➡️ Check out our full conversation with Peter Burns below.

FOUR FACTORS FOR TENNESSEE

Tennessee opened the week favored by about a touchdown over North Carolina State.

And that number has continued to climb.

As of Friday morning, the Vols were favored by as many as 10 points over NC State.

📍 Charlotte, N.C.
⏰ 7:30 p.m. ET
📺 ABC
📻 99.1 The Sports Animal/WIVK

We’ve taken score predictions all week long on the show.

And the predictions have been lopsided — the closest margin we received, I believe, was Tennessee by 14 points.

Will it really be that easy for UT?

Maybe…

But there are several areas the Vols will need to succeed to score a blowout.

Let’s take a look at four factors to consider in this matchup.

1️⃣ Tennessee’s O-line vs NC State’s pass rush

Tennessee has experience and talent on the offensive line.

But the left side, with tackle Lance Heard and guard Andrej Karic, has more to prove.

While Iamaleava faced little pressure last week, he was hit twice in the second quarter from the left side.

Starting left tackle Lance Heard gave up a sack, and reserve left tackle Larry Johnson III allowed a defender to get to Iamaleava and hit him.

NC State brought back its top three sack leaders from a year ago.

Protecting Nico is the priority; that will be a bigger challenge this weekend.

2️⃣ WR Kevin Concepcion

NC State has several receiving options for quarterback Grayson McCall.

But there’s no question about the Wolfpack’s No. 1 option.

That’s Concepcion.

NC State’s sophomore receiver caught 10 touchdowns last season and scored three more in last week’s opener against Western Carolina.

Several Tennessee defenders will be tasked with covering Concepcion over the course of the game.

3️⃣ Tennessee’s running game

We’ve talked a ton about Nico — and for good reason — but we can’t overlook the importance of Tennessee’s running game.

Dylan Sampson had a great start against Chattanooga, and the entire running back group looks healthy.

If Tennessee runs with success against NC State’s 3-3-5 defense, good luck to the Wolfpack slowing the Vols’ down.

Run the ball and avoid penalties.

Nico and the passing attack can take it from there.

4️⃣ Tennessee’s interior defensive line

James Pearce Jr. will have plenty of chances to make plays on Saturday after playing only 10 snaps in the opener.

But the Vols’ interior of the defensive line could make the difference in this game.

The Vols are deep and talented on the D-line.

They’ll try to shut down running back Jordan Waters, a sixth-year running back who scored 12 touchdowns last season for Duke.

Can NC State’s offensive line hold off Tennessee’s stout D-line?

That’s going to be a big ask for the Wolfpack.

➡️ We previewed Saturday night’s game with Chris Low of ESPN, who told us why he thinks Tennessee will win by multiple scores. Check it out below.

SPORTS NUGGETS

🏈 Tennessee “dropped out” of the College Football Playoff in On3’s bracketology update after the opening CFB weekend.

🏈 Here’s a viewing guide for Week 2, with Texas at Michigan kicking things off at noon on Saturday.

🏈 The House v. NCAA settlement is on hold as a federal judge ordered the attorneys to “go back to the drawing board” on some key issues.

🏈 Here’s a cool story from Adam Sparks on Tennessee edge James Pearce Jr. and those who blocked against him in high school.

🏀 What in the world is happening with Memphis basketball? Gary Parrish takes a look at Penny Hardaway’s program.

⚾ Tennessee coach Tony Vitello joined Lane Taylor for a long-form chat about leadership and creating the right culture.

REMAINING QUESTIONS

We’ve seen Tennessee play one game this season, and it was against an FCS opponent.

It’s easy to see that Tennessee could be really good this season.

But some questions need to be answered for that to happen.

Here are a few remaining questions before Tennessee plays its first power conference opponent of the season.

🟠 Will Boo Carter take charge at the STAR position?

Carter played more snaps than Christian Harrison vs. UTC, and Carter showed off his explosiveness.

“Boo’s a baller,” linebacker Keenan Pili said on Saturday. “You can see the future he’s going to have.”

How much will we see Carter play this week? And will he make a game-changing play?

⚫ What will the running back rotation look like?

Cameron Seldon looks like the No. 2 guy behind Sampson.

But DeSean Bishop has earned playing time as well.

The Vols succeeded with three running backs last season.

Let’s see what the split looks like this weekend.

🟠 Can Dont’e Thornton keep it up?

That was a GREAT start to the season for Thornton, who had to appreciate the way those passes were delivered by Iamaleava.

Thornton had a tough season last year but received praise for the way he worked in the offseason.

It LOOKS like the work paid off.

A big year for Thornton would help UT’s offense return to 2022 form.

⚫ How is Rickey Gibson III?

Tennessee’s talented sophomore cornerback was held out last week due to a hamstring issue he dealt with during camp.

Heupel said Gibson should be “ready to roll” earlier in the week.

The Vols need their entire secondary to be ready against NC State’s receiving options.

🟠 Who is the No. 2 quarterback behind Iamaleava?

We received this question during the show several times this week.

By all accounts, Gaston Moore is the No. 2 guy.

Freshman Jake Merklinger could change that later in the season, but Moore is Nico’s backup right now.

⚫ Will Tennessee keep its intensity?

There’s no reason for Tennessee to lack focus.

It’s Game No. 2, of course.

But UT’s players are humans, not robots, so they have to maintain their focus.

This is a huge game for NC State, which has probably heard all week that they have no chance to win.

What did Iamaleava learn from the end of the first half last week?

“To keep our foot on their throat,” he said on Saturday.

That will be needed this week.

CAROLINA CONNECTION

As you know, the Tennessee-NC State game will take place in Charlotte.

There’s a common idea that neutral site games can have a big impact on recruiting in that particular area.

But the location of this week’s game does bring up the big-picture importance of Tennessee’s need to succeed on the recruiting trail in North Carolina.

And under coach Josh Heupel, Tennessee has done quite well in that state.

Tennessee’s top player entering the season: James Pearce, who On3 rated a five-star prospect out of Charlotte in 2022. (Fun fact: Pearce and NC State standout Concepcion were high school teammates.)

Tennessee defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs and wide receiver Nathan Leacock were two highly-touted signees from North Carolina in the 2023 class.

And last month, Tennessee landed commitments from 2025 five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. from Charlotte and 2026 five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon from Greensboro.

The Vols are hot in the state of North Carolina right now with the states top players.

If they win in Charlotte on Saturday night, you can bet Heupel and his staff will make sure a few more prospects know about it.

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