Nico Iamareaba's five-star rating, undisputed talent, and Citrus Bowl MVP win were enough to convince the college football world that he could be a star at the University of Tennessee in 2024.
However, Imareaba appeared in five games during his collegiate career, starting only one, and had 314 passing yards.
For most quarterbacks the Vols will face this season, this is a one-time job Saturday. They play a lot of games and often play at a high level.
If talent trumps experience, UT could have the better quarterback in any given game. But if Imareaba goes through some legitimate growing pains in his first season as a starter, opposing quarterbacks will have enough skin to compete.
Here, we will introduce a ranking of the top nine starting QBs the Vols will face this season, with an emphasis on game experience. He has started 182 games, including one for Imareaba.
1. Carson Beck, Georgia
Beck was the preseason Heisman Trophy favorite on many boards and could be a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Beck helped improve the Vols last season, completing 24 of 30 passes for 298 yards and three TDs. He was virtually unstoppable on third down and UT never sacked him.
It doesn't matter what Imareaba does unless UT puts pressure on Beck or covers him better.
experience: 26 games (14 starts), 4,427 passing yards
2. Jaylen Milroe, Alabama
Milroe finished sixth in Heisman voting last season and is in the top five in 2024 preseason odds.
Nick Saban adjusted his offense to maximize Milroe's skill set. It's natural to think that new Alabama coach Karen DeBoer can do the same, especially since he helped develop Michael Penix into a Heisman runner-up at the University of Washington last season.
experience: 25 games (14 starts), 3,172 passing yards
3. Graham Mertz, Florida
Graham Mertz started three seasons at Wisconsin and last season at Florida. He is a game manager and the complete opposite of the dynamic Imaleaba.
Martz defeated Joe Milton last season in a win over the Vols at The Swamp. It will be even harder to beat UT on Oct. 12 at Neyland Stadium. But Mertz has road wins over Michigan, Nebraska and South Carolina in his long career, so don't expect him to be overpowered.
experience: 45 games (43 starts), 8,290 passing yards
4. Grayson McCall, North Carolina
Grayson McCall, a transfer from Coastal Carolina, is the NCAA's active career leader in passing efficiency. The three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year had 10,005 yards and 88 TDs in his career.
It will be a young vs. old quarterback matchup when UT takes on North Carolina State in Charlotte on September 7th.
experience: 42 games (40 starts), 10,005 yards passing
5. Brock Vandagriff, Kentucky
Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff is gaining a different kind of experience.
The former five-star prospect spent four years with the Bulldogs behind Stetson Bennett and Beck on national title teams. However, he has only played 76 offensive snaps in his career.
Despite his lack of game experience, Vandagriff was one of the most coveted quarterback transfers this offseason.
experience: 13 games (0 games starting) 165 yards passing
6. Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma
Imareaba and Jackson-Arnold followed a similar path to earn a starting spot.
They were both five-star prospects in the 2023 class. Both played as freshmen, but Arnold (181 snaps) saw slightly more playing time than Imareaba (120 snaps). Both had impressive first starts in bowl games. And both enter the 2024 season with talk of the Heisman Trophy.
The two sides will meet in Norman on Sept. 21 in Oklahoma State's first SEC game.
experience: 7 games (1 start) 563 yards passing
7. Tyren Green, Arkansas
Tylen Green started the past two seasons at Boise State before transferring to Arkansas to replace KJ Jefferson. He has 25 passing TDs and 19 rushing TDs in his career.
experience: 28 games (22 starts), 3,794 passing yards
8. Blake Chapen, Mississippi
This is Blake Shapen's fifth year in college football. At Baylor, he was the MVP of the Big 12 Championship Game and won a road game at Oklahoma, getting his third season off to a good start.
experience: 27 games (23 starts), 5,574 passing yards
9. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
As of now, Utah transfer Nate Johnson is projected to be Vanderbilt's starting pitcher.
However, Diego Pavia, a transfer from New Mexico State, could earn that spot before the Nov. 30 game against UT. Eventually, coach Clark Lee hired Pavia's former coach (Jerry Kill) and offensive coordinator (Tim Beck) from New Mexico State to Vanderbilt.
Pavia totaled 52 TDs in two seasons and was named the 2023 Conference USA Player of the Year. This is his fifth season in college, including two seasons at junior college.
experience: 27 games (25 starts), 4,423 passing yards
Adam Sparks is a football beat reporter for Tennessee. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Please support strong local journalism by subscribing at . knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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