Redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava showcased his talents against Iowa in the Citrus Bowl, completing 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. The MVP also ran for 27 yards.
-- Tennessee Athletics/Utsports.ComAfter returning from Tennessee’s Citrus Bowl victory versus Iowa last season, Nico Iamaleava was ready to get right back to work.
The former five-star quarterback made his first start for the Vols in the win against the Hawkeyes, running for three touchdowns and passing for 151 yards and another TD to earn MVP honors.
But Iamaleava was far from satisfied. He wanted to re-watch the game multiple times to find ways he could get better.
“He has absolutely attacked the knowledge side of this, which is not something that we force him to do,” says Tennessee offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle. “That is why it is really exciting moving forward that he has that kind of appetite for wanting to learn what this game is.”
The Vols opened fall camp last week with Iamaleava in the spotlight as the starting quarterback. The redshirt freshman is hoping to lead the Vols to success in a new era of the SEC and college football overall. The SEC has expanded to 16 teams with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma, and the conference will have no divisions for the first time since 1991.
The College Football Playoff has also expanded this season, going from four teams to 12. Every power conference champion is guaranteed a spot in the field, and the SEC is likely to have multiple teams in the bracket.
Coming off a 9-4 season, the Vols were picked to finish seventh in the SEC preseason poll behind Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU and Missouri.
Iamaleava appeared in four regular-season games last season as a backup to Joe Milton III. Although it was the first time in his career he’s stood on the sidelines for so long, Iamaleava was content with his role.
“I think it was great for me and it’s really what I envisioned,” Iamaleava says. “Sit the first year, soak up as much as I can soak up and Year 2 was go-time for me.”
Humility over hype
Iamaleava arrived at UT with major hype stemming from his athletic ability, success in high school and the multimillion-dollar NIL deal he signed. But his humility in the locker room has earned him respect among his teammates.
“It’s been a big part of how the players have responded to him. (He’s) a guy that came in here, wanted to earn it and went to work every single day,” UT head coach Josh Heupel says. “He’s developed great relationships with guys on his side of the ball but on the other side of the ball as well, and will continue to grow as a leader. How he works, how he competes, coming out and earning it, his consistency in who he is every day inside of the building has been a huge part of the trust, love and belief that our players have in him.”
Although he is a first-year starter, Iamaleava feels comfortable being a leader and pushing the Vols when needed.
“I feel like I have created that relationship with my teammates to hold them to the standard,” he says. “They’ll always know it’s coming from a place of love and no hatred toward you. (And) vice versa with my teammates. They can keep me in check and I won’t feel no type of way. Nothing’s personal here, and we’re all trying to achieve one goal.”
Growth both mental, physical
Through the help of UT’s strength and nutrition staff, the 6-foot-6 Southern California native has added nearly 25 pounds to his frame since arriving on campus. UT lists Iamaleava as 215 pounds on the updated roster.
“More meals. Showing up to breakfast. More breakfast for me,” Iamaleava says of his increased caloric intake. “I think breakfast meals are the hardest for me, but getting breakfast in for me and all four meals throughout the day.”
Heupel and Halzle can’t wait to fully unleash Iamaleava after he’s spent more than a year in the fast-paced offensive system. He’s patiently waited his turn and done everything asked to take the next steps in the growth process of a quarterback.
“Just watching that kid in the spring scrimmages after he’d been here for two months and it’s like ‘man this guy just gets it on the football side of the ball.’ Now, getting to take this whole offseason and really dive into the intricacies of understanding why we are calling certain things in certain situations? Why are we doing things a certain way? Why are we switching our protection? He is blossoming in that,” Halzle says. “I think we are going to see his play go to an even higher level, which is a scary thing to think about because just his natural ability to step on a football field and go play well is elite.”
Iamaleava isn’t trying to look that far ahead yet. He knows there is more work to be done before he takes his first regular-season snap as a starter behind center – a role he hopes to lock down for the next few seasons.
“Be where your feet are,” Iamaleava says. “I’m focused on fall camp, going into fall camp and what we have to do to better our team and try to reach our goals that we have for the season.”