Tennessee starting quarterback Joe Milton announced his decision to opt-out of the Citrus Bowl against Iowa on Wednesday afternoon. The college football postseason game will be played on Monday.
Nico Iamaleava is going to start for the Volunteers and the Hawkeyes are completely unprepared!
Senior defensive back Quinn Schulte admitted that his team has been getting ready for Milton and only Milton after their first practice in Orlando. Iowa is completely unfamiliar with Iamaleava.
This is news to me today, to be honest with you. So, obviously, we’re going to have to back in and take a look.
— Quinn Schulte
The Hawkeyes have not looked at his tape. They have not planned for his style of play. Nothing.
It was not even a thought!
Head coach Kirk Ferentz and 12-year defensive coordinator Phil Parker are back to square one with four days before game day. Everything that their team has done to get ready for Milton is thrown out of the window. While some of the strategy of how to stop the two different quarterbacks might translate, because at the end of the day it is still the same Tennessee offense, they have to start over.
The news of the quarterback switch had Schulte shook!
Although Iowa’s preparation for Milton was rendered completely useless with his decision to turn pro, it makes sense that he was the lone focus. However, with the current landscape of college football being what it is, Ferentz should have had some foresight.
His team should have considered the possibility that Iamaleava would start. He should have at least been on their radar.
To make the entire thing even more frustrating, Iamaleava is a true freshman. There is not much tape to go off of. The 6-foot-6, 206-pound signal-caller is a dual-threat guy who completed 16 of his 26 pass attempts in 2023 while running for 44 yards on just five carries.
That is more than zero. The Hawkeyes won’t be totally blind, but they don’t have much on which to work. Especially on the Thursday before the Monday game. Oops!