Vols coach drops awesome must-hear quote about Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava
Tennessee Vols redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava spent most of last week in the concussion protocol after suffering an injury in UT's win against Mississippi State. Iamaleava was cleared late in the week and started in the Vols' game against the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens. Tennessee wasn't able to leave Sanford Stadium with a win, […]
Tennessee Vols redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava spent most of last week in the concussion protocol after suffering an injury in UT's win against Mississippi State.
Iamaleava was cleared late in the week and started in the Vols' game against the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens.
Tennessee wasn't able to leave Sanford Stadium with a win, but Iamaleava still played extremely well. The former five-star recruit looked poised despite the insane atmosphere between the hedges. Iamaleava kept Tennessee in the game all night, despite often facing pressure from Georgia's defensive front.
On a couple of plays, Iamaleava picked up extra yards with his legs by breaking tackles, something that impressed Georgia head coach Kirby Smart.
“It’s hard to get him down," said Smart when asked about Iamaleava. "I mean, that guy’s a tough competitor now. I mean, I got a lot of respect for him to go through what he went through this week and break tackles. He’s got great quickness, great vision, and he’s a really talented quarterback with a bright future.”
Vols tight ends coach Alec Abeln echoed those sentiments while meeting with reporters on Tuesday, calling Iamaleava "tough as hell".
“He’s a dog," said Abeln. "I think all the guys know that kid is tough as hell. When the moment is big, it’s not too big for him. I think as he continues to settle in and play more, that’s a guy the entire team is going to be behind.”
Iamaleava's had an impressive start to his career at Tennessee. He's 9-2 as a starter and he owns wins against Florida and Alabama. Outside of Hendon Hooker in 2022, the last Tennessee quarterback with wins against Florida and Alabama in the same season was Erik Ainge in 2004.
Nico is only going to continue to get better the more reps he gets. The Vols have a budding superstar on their hands.
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