5-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava commits to Tennessee

Tennessee got Nico Iamaleava on campus for the Vanderbilt game, and that changed everything. The five-star quarterback out of Long Beach (Calif.) Poly thought he would go check out the Vols, see what the fan base what like and move on to his other options.

Instead, the No. 5 prospect in the On3 Consensus fell in love with Knoxville. He connected with Josh Heupel, Alex Golesh and Joey Halzle, he returned for another visit early in March and that is all it took.

The No. 3 quarterback in the country canceled other visits, pushed his commitment up over a month and has given Heupel his first five-star commitment since taking over on Rocky Top.

“I felt it on that last visit to Tennessee,” Iamaleava told On3. “Tennessee has it all. I love everything about Tennessee. The city, the people, the school, the location – everything about Tennessee is right for me.

“I knew Tennessee was the school on that visit, then after getting home and talking about it with my family, I made my decision.”

Oregon was viewed by some as Tennessee’s biggest competition, but Miami was actually the school Iamaleava said gave him a lot to think about. He was at Miami in January for the first time and planned to visit Coral Gables again, but he only plans to visit Knoxville moving forward.

“I went in there on my first visit thinking it would be cool because it is an SEC school, but it really surprised me. The fan base, the coaches, the people – it was all the best. I got that crazy feeling on that first visit, so I knew I had to get back.

“Getting back a second time and spending more time with the coaches, letting my family get a feel for Knoxville and learning more about what Tennessee is about brought it all together. I knew Knoxville was for me.”

The 6-foot-5, 195-pound signal caller will move across the country from Long Beach to Knoxville. He has spent a total of about five days around the Tennessee campus and he wants more.

“The people, the water, the scenery, it is all wonderful in Knoxville. The southern hospitality is real. It is just a great vibe. It is not just me that loves it, but m whole family loves it. Knoxville is different from where I am from, but the vibe makes me comfortable.”

All about the future at Tennessee

Heupel is ready to enter season No. 2 as the head coach of the Vols. According to college football experts, he exceeded expectations in his first year. Iamaleava is confident Tennessee is on the rise.

“I definitely see a lot of potential at Tennessee,” Iamaleava said. “They had a good season last year and with coach Heupel and that coaching staff, they are just a few pieces away from making a big move.

“I trust the staff to develop me, to build the program and we are going to get players. Tennessee is very capable of putting a top team together, playing for the national championship and competing with Alabama and Georgia in the SEC.

“What coach Heupel did last year is only going to get better.”

Along with Heupel and the staff in Knoxville, Iamaleava is about to start recruiting. He has a long list of players he wants to bring with him to Rocky Top.

“I will be back at Tennessee on April 8 when a lot of other recruits will be there. I am going to work on a lot of top players and I think some will come with me. Carnell Tate, Kyler Kasper, Tony Mitchell and many more are guys I am already working on.

“I am going to try to flip some guys from other schools and make this Tennessee class as good as it can be. There is a lot to like about Tennessee.”

Tennessee now has five commitments and ranks in the top 20 recruiting classes.

Iamaleava can relax now that he’s committed

Over two dozen schools offered Iamaleava. His recruitment has been very consistent over the last year and now that he is committed to Tennessee, he can slow things down.

He just wants to be a kid again.

“Going through all of that was a lot,” Iamaleava said. “All the phone calls, visits and constantly thinking about recruiting was a lot to go through. Now I can go have fun, play volleyball and just think about my senior year.

“Being committed gives me time to relax. When I get to Tennessee, it will be real, so I want to enjoy my time as a kid. I am going to Tennessee, so I have no more worries with recruiting.”

He will finish out his high school career at Long Beach Poly. It will be his last stop before he moves to Knoxville and started his career in the SEC. That is something he is looking forward to.

“The SEC is like a mini NFL. There are great players everywhere and I had my eye on those schools for a long time. At Tennessee, I will get the best competition, I will get the best coaching and I will see how good I am.

“It is very exciting. The SEC wins championships and puts players into the NFL – two of my biggest dreams. I get to do it all at Tennessee and I am excited about it.”