Tennessee Quarterback Nico Iamaleava is in concussion protocol after leaving the game against Mississippi State last week, a source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to Knox News.
But Iamaleava participated in team activities and meetings Monday, something coach Josh Heupel acknowledged during his weekly news conference. And Iamaleava trained with the team on Tuesday.
Iamaleava’s status for the Georgia game has not been determined, sources told Knox News.
Tennessee (8-1, 5-1) faces Georgia (7-2, 5-2) on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. The matchup will impact both teams’ College Football Playoff chances.
On Monday, Heupel was optimistic that Iamaleava would be available to play against Georgia.
“(We) think he will be in great shape on Saturday,” Heupel said. “But you can watch (the SEC availability report) on Wednesday and follow it throughout the week. (We) certainly think he’ll be in a good position.”
Iamaleava did not return from the locker room at halftime UT’s 33-14 win over Mississippi State due to what a team spokesperson called an “upper body injury.”
Iamaleava played his best football since the second half in a win over Alabama on October 19. He completed 65% of his passes for 1,879 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions during his redshirt freshman season.
If Iamaleava is out or limited against Georgia, backup quarterback Gaston Moorea fifth-year senior, would start. Freshman Jake Merklinger is the No. 3 quarterback.
The SEC availability report will be released Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. ET, then updated Thursday, Friday and 90 minutes before kickoff Saturday.
Teams designate players on the report as probable, doubtful, doubtful or ruled out. On match day, they may also be designated as an in-match decision.
Adam Sparks is Tennessee’s football reporter. E-mail [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing to knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on the Knoxville News Sentinel: Nico Iamaleava injury update: QB in concussion protocol for Tennessee vs. Georgia
