Tennessee Vols 5-star commit Nico Iamaleava praised for most important trait a QB can have
Tennessee Vols five-star quarterback commit Nico Iamaleava received some important praise this week from a national recruiting analyst. And it's praise for the most important trait a quarterback at any level can possess. Rivals.com national recruiting director Adam Gorney pointed out on Wednesday that Iamaleava had a tremendous showing at the Rivals Camp Los Angeles […]
Tennessee Vols five-star quarterback commit Nico Iamaleava received some important praise this week from a national recruiting analyst.
And it's praise for the most important trait a quarterback at any level can possess.
Rivals.com national recruiting director Adam Gorney pointed out on Wednesday that Iamaleava had a tremendous showing at the Rivals Camp Los Angeles series, noting that Nico has great charisma and a "phenomenal arm".
Those aren't the traits, though, that should get fans excited.
Gorney also praised Iamaleava's accuracy, calling it "excellent".
The Long Beach (Calif.) Poly five-star quarterback and Tennessee commit messed up the date for the Rivals Camp in Los Angeles, so he showed up rushed, but it did not affect his performance at all. Iamaleava showed off his skills – like he has at every event – as he has great size and a phenomenal arm.
He had excellent accuracy that day and a charisma that receivers love as well. The five-star is smooth, capable and not only wants to perform at the highest level but also have fun doing it. Everything looks so natural in his game.
I've heard numerous quarterback evaluators and trainers over the years talk about how accuracy isn't something that can always be taught.
Tennessee fans should certainly understand that as well as any fan base.
Former Vols quarterback Jarrett Guarantano had a gifted arm, but his accuracy left a lot to be desired. The same can be said of current Tennessee backup quarterback Joe Milton, who could probably throw a ball to the moon, but it would likely hit the international space station instead.
Even former UT signal-caller Josh Dobbs — the Vols' best quarterback over the last decade — struggled with accuracy at times.
Accuracy is something that some NFL general managers look for above all other traits.
“I think if you study quarterbacks over history, accuracy at the collegiate level is usually a great indicator of accuracy at the professional level," said Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert earlier this offseason.
"I think that’s the one trait of a quarterback—again they’re all going to be different sizes, they’re all going to have different arm talent, they’re all going to have different athletic abilities. But if you ask me one thing that I think can identify a potentially tough quarterback it would be accuracy.”
Iamaleava has all the physical tools — he's got prototypical size and a big arm. He's also a great leader and charismatic as Gorney pointed out. When you pair all of that with Iamaleava's accuracy, it makes him as close as you can get to a can't miss quarterback prospect.
Tennessee fans should be beyond excited to see this kid play on Rocky Top in a couple of years.
Featured image via Rivals.com