Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is in concussion protocol heading into a critical matchup against Georgia on Saturday, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Iamaleava exited the first half of the Vols' win over Mississippi State on Saturday and did not return for the remainder of the contest.
According to Thamel, Iamaleava practiced on Tuesday, but his status for Saturday's meeting in Athens is undetermined.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said after the game that leaving Iamaleava off the field in the second half on Saturday was a "precautionary measure" and that he'd be "ready roll next Saturday."
After Monday's practice, Heupel once again reiterated that Iamaleava could be ready to go by Saturday.
"He was with us today, had a really good day," Heupel said, per 247Sports' Patrick Brown. "Feel like he'll be in great shape for Saturday, but you guys can monitor whatever the report is that comes out on Wednesday and track it through the week. But certainly feel like he'll be in a good spot."
Tennessee will release SEC-mandated availability reports on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, which will give more insight into Iamaleava's status as the matchup gets closer.
Iamaleava, the No. 3 nationally ranked player in the Class of 2023 by 247Sports Composite, has 1,879 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions through nine games. The redshirt freshman has also picked up 215 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Last week in the first half against Mississippi State, he threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns on 8-of-13 passing.
Backup quarterback Gaston Moore replaced Iamaleava in the second half and completed five of his eight passes for 38 passing yards. Should Iamaleava be unable to play against the Bulldogs on Saturday, Moore would presumably start in his place.
The No. 7 Vols' matchup with No. 3 Georgia on Saturday comes with plenty of College Football Playoff and SEC championship implications. Should Tennessee leave Athens with a win, it would likely clinch a CFP spot so long as the Vols take care of business against UTEP and Vanderbilt to close out the year.
Tennessee could also get one step closer to securing a trip to the SEC championship with the win as it currently sits in the driver's seat in the conference at 5-1.
Winning the high-stakes game would be significantly harder without Iamaleava on the field.