Tennessee’s highly touted freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava will get his long-awaited first start in the Vols’ bowl game after all.

Senior quarterback Joe Milton III, who has started 14-straight games for Tennessee, has opted out of the No. 25 Vols’ Cheez-It Citrus Bowl clash with No. 17 Iowa at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on Jan. 1, 2024 (1 p.m. ET, ABC).

Milton joins running backs Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small who opted out of the game previously.

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The 6-foot-5, 235 pound Milton transferred to Tennessee in 2021 after three seasons at Michigan.

He started the first two games of the 2021 season before being replaced by Hendon Hooker. Milton played much of the next two seasons in a backup role until Hooker suffered a season-ending ACL tear against South Carolina in the second to last game of the 2022 regular season.

Milton took over the starting job again, leading Tennessee to a 59-0 win over Vanderbilt. A month later he finished 19-of-28 passing for 251 yards and three touchdowns in the Vols’ 31-14 victory against Clemson in the Orange Bowl and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

Milton entered his final season of eligibility in 2023 as Tennessee’s unquestioned starter at quarterback. He passed for 2,813 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions in the Vols’ 8-4 season.

He saved arguably his best performance in his last outing vs. Vanderbilt on Nov. 25 at Neyland Stadium, going 22-of-33 passing for 383 yards and four touchdowns in a convincing 48-24 win.

Milton was invited to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama on Feb. 3.

With Milton out, Iamaleava is set to see his most significant playing time since signing with Tennessee as a consensus five-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class.

Iamaleava appeared in four games during the regular season, accounting for 163 yards and a touchdown on 16-of-26 passing. He will maintain his redshirt freshman status, regardless of playing in the bowl game.

Tennessee arrived in Orlando on Tuesday to continue its bowl preparation.

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