Vols insider drops exciting nugget about Nico Iamaleava's performance during Tennessee's fall camp
The Tennessee Vols are nowhere close to having a quarterback competition on their hands — Joe Milton is the undisputed "guy" for UT this fall — but the hype for true freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava is reaching a point where fans might call for former five-star recruit in 2023 if the offense shows any signs […]
The Tennessee Vols are nowhere close to having a quarterback competition on their hands — Joe Milton is the undisputed "guy" for UT this fall — but the hype for true freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava is reaching a point where fans might call for former five-star recruit in 2023 if the offense shows any signs of struggles.
Iamaleava received some hefty praise from Vols head coach Josh Heupel on Thursday that has fans feeling like the true freshman has legitimate superstar potential.
"He's got great command and understanding of what we're doing," explained Heupel. "[He] understands protections, understands how he's got to get us out of run/run checks, pass/run checks, whatever it might be."
"He hasn't been perfect, but he's grown," added Heupel. "One of the things that we talk about is not making the same mistake twice. He doesn't make the same mistake twice. He learns from it."
On Friday morning, VolQuest's Brent Hubbs, the don of Tennessee insiders, dropped a nugget about Iamaleava during an appearance on 104.5 The Zone's Ramon, Kayla, and Will that will send the hype for Nico into overdrive.
"I think Nico's interesting because it kind of feels a little bit like the more traffic you put on the field, the better Nico plays," said Hubbs.
"Nico scrimmaged well yesterday (Thursday)," continued Hubbs. "Now, he's been practicing well. But he seems more comfortable the more people you put on the field, which I think is a great attribute for a quarterback. He doesn't make the same mistake twice because he is committed to learning. [The] guy puts in unbelievable hours in the film room. He realizes even though he's got all the hype and he's got all the stars and all that, he's got to go to work every day to learn what to do. And he's doing that."
"So I think he's starting to make strides. I think he took a step yesterday. I think he'll continue to take steps and I think there's a lot of excitement about the future with Nico. They'll try to get him on the field and playing when they can and try to have him ready in case he were needed for whatever reason. But I think there's a lot of belief in the direction Nico's going right now — in part because of his work ethic. The guy's a learner. He likes to learn. He loves to study. He's a fast learn guy. I think it's going well for Nico right now."
How can you not be excited after hearing that if you're a Vols fan?
It sounds like the more Nico has thrown at him, the better he looks. Even though he's a true freshman with a ridiculous amount of pressure and hype, he hasn't been overwhelmed. Like Heupel said, it hasn't been perfect, but he's growing.
It's one thing to get a great quarterback on campus, it's another thing to properly develop that quarterback. For years, Tennessee struggled to develop quarterbacks. Guys like Jarrett Guarantano seemingly hit a wall in their development and never progressed. But under Heupel and his staff, that's no longer a concern. In fact, it's now a strength for the Vols.
Nico Iamaleava explains how difficult it’s been to adjust to Tennessee Vols’ up-tempo offense
True freshman QB Nico Iamaleava explained how difficult it’s been to adjust to Tennessee Vols’ up-tempo offense
Featured image via Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
