Tennessee QB has his helmet cracked on collision with Ohio State LB

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava was hit so hard in his Volunteers’ College Football Playoff game against Ohio State on Saturday that his helmet cracked.

The Buckeyes got the ball and scored first to take a 7-0 lead in the CFP game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday night. The Vols got the ball after that and Iamaleava ran twice. On a third-down scramble, he met Ohio State linebacker Cody Simon head-on. The hit from Simon cracked Iamaleava’s helmet.

You can see a video of the hit that did the damage on Iamaleava’s helmet.

That hit CRACKED Nico’s helmet. pic.twitter.com/pwOvYtLQMQ

— Audrey Caylor~TRUST NO ONE 🍊🐝 (@C6E_MUSIC) December 22, 2024

Here is a still of the cracked helmet.

Nicos helmet cracked on the first series… @barstoolsports @espn @BleacherReport pic.twitter.com/cZtYIZ4n4P

— Justus Zamarron (@zman2332) December 22, 2024

Iamaleava had been knocked out of Tennessee’s Nov. 9 game against Mississippi State with a concussion and switched to a more protective helmet. It’s possible that playing in the sub-30 degree temperature on Saturday may have contributed to the quarterback’s helmet cracking against the Buckeyes.

Despite being hit in the helmet on that play, Iamaleava remained in the game.