Unless there's a surprise this spring/summer, it'll be the Joe Milton show for the Tennessee Vols at quarterback in 2023.

But after the 2023 season, the offense will be handed over to Nico Iamaleava, the highly touted five-star quarterback that Tennessee signed last month.

Iamaleava arrived in Knoxville in December and he joined the team for their Orange Bowl practices. The California native was on the sidelines in Miami (but not in full uniform per NCAA rules) for the Vols' win against the Clemson Tigers.

The talented quarterback then flew back home to California for winter break.

After spending some time at home, Iamaleava flew from California to Hawaii for the Polynesian Bowl, which he'll participate in this week.

CBS Sports caught up with Nico to discuss the quarterback's first few weeks at Tennessee.

"It was a great experience for me," said Iamaleava to CBS Sports. "Just being able to experience bowl practices and practice with the team and get live reps with them was a big thing for me. I had a blast with the team. Just getting to know the guys on the team and in my 23 class was amazing."

"The biggest adjustment for me was the speed of the game," noted Iamaleava while discussing his first practices with the Vols. "I knew going into it that football was going to be football, but everybody's big out there, everybody can move. I had a blast going against the ones defense. I was the scout team quarterback, so it was cool to get those reps against the ones defense and just show my skill set. I had fun out there."

Iamaleave also discussed how he's grasping the offense so far.

"I'd say once you get some of the verbiage down, it'll start to click," explained Iamaleava. "I'm still trying to get the verbiage down, but it being my first three weeks there and seeing how things operate with Coach Heup and Coach Joey. We don't have Coach Golesh now, but [I'm] happy for him. Seeing the QB room operates and guys like that — it was a great experience to learn."

Nico told CBS that he's ready to compete for the starting job, but he noted that he's also eager to learn from the other quarterbacks at Tennessee.

"It's been my goal since day one to go out there and compete with whoever's the guy," said Iamaleava. "But I also look forward to learning from guys like Joe, Navy, Gaston, and the whole QB room."

"We have a great QB room. And my first three weeks there, it just felt good to be a part of, man. Nobody has an ego. Everybody gets along well. Whether it's competing for the job, backing up Joe, or backing up whoever it is, I look forward to learning. It'll be [my] freshman year, so I know there will be a lot more adjustments to college life, but I look forward to wherever that spot is."

One of the most important things that Iamaleava told CBS Sports is that Josh Heupel and his staff have delivered on everything they told Nico during the recruiting process.

"Everything has been what they said it was and more," said Iamaleava. "I think we have the best coaches in college football, just my first three weeks being there. We got the best college football coaches out there, for sure."

Trust is extremely important in recruiting. And when coaches lie, word gets around fast (just ask Butch Jones). But it's clear from Iamaleava's comments that stretching the truth on the recruiting trail isn't an issue with Heupel and his assistants.

The future is bright at Tennessee and Nico is a big reason why that's the case.

Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK