Josh Heupel exits spring impressed by Joe Milton, Nico Iamaleava

Football was being played at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, as spring practice came to an end for Tennessee. Head coach Josh Heupel oversaw the spring game as all attention was on the two quarterbacks — Joe Milton and Nico Iamaleava.

For fans, they have seen Milton in action but it was a first with Iamaleava, the former five-star prospect, and crown of the 2023 recruiting class.

Heupel broke down what he saw from both guys on Saturday, putting a caveat on everything. Defenses are not allowed to hit the quarterbacks and the head coach gave credit to his unit. However, there were some positive developments in Heupel’s eyes in the game-like environment.

“It’s not real football, at the end of the day,” Heupel said. “For the quarterbacks today, I thought there was a lot of game management that was really good. All in all, their eyes, decision-making — pretty sound. There’s some things accuracy-wise that we got to continue to get better. There’s some things in situational football that you can’t do that they’ll learn from. That group has been really good with the way they compete and help each other in the meeting room, out on the grass.”

Even so, there is still more progress Heupel is looking for out of Milton and Iamaleava. He believes the upcoming summer into fall camp will be critical for their development. Tennessee will kick off the season on Sept. 2 against Virginia. Heupel will be looking for more strides before getting underway.

“There’s a lot of development that’s left in that room,” Heupel said. “I love what they’ve done this spring but we got to continue to grow. That’s the reality of that when you end spring ball. You got a long ways to go before you’re ready to play a football game. We have time, we got to be urgent in the way that we prepare. That starts when we getting rolling next week.”

Josh Heupel breaks down Joe Milton

Heupel then took some time to discuss each guy, beginning with Milton. He started by talking about how well the veteran quarterback handles himself off the field, especially with his “work habits.” Milton has been around college football, and even Tennessee, for a long time. He has been able to learn a thing or two.

“I think some of that starts with off-the-field,” Heupel said. “Being really sure in who he is and what he’s about. Defining and growing in his work habits that’s allowed him to be more consistent and grow inside of what we’re doing.

Moving back onto the field, Heupel talked about Milton’s footwork. Everyone knows the arm talent but being able to set your feet can be more important at times. Being able to have his feet set on a consistent basis is where Milton has really stood out.

“If you talk about just the football player, it starts with understanding what we’re doing, understanding defenses, being consistent with his reads,” Heupel said. “Pair that with growth, fundamentally. Getting his feet into the ground, being in a consistent, positive position to be able to deliver a football. Work from the ground up. Pair those things together, he’s able to grow. You saw some of that in the way that he played at the end of last year. He’s had a really good spring.”

Nico Iamaleava owns ‘special skillset’ in open space

The name everyone is discussing around Rocky Top is Iamaleava. An elite talent Heupel was able to pull into the 2023 recruiting class brings a ton of hype with him. Early expectations have maybe already been surpassed as well, with Iamaleava receiving plenty of praise.

That trend continued on Saturday, with Heupel discussing the “special skillset” Iamaleava has when on the run. Iamaleava’s solid play down the sideline was mentioned by the head coach as the standout moment.

“His ability to do those things is certainly a skillset that was important to us in the recruiting process,” Heupel said. “He does have a really good feel for a young guy inside the pocket, when to step up, when to escape out the backside. He’s dynamic and explosive as an athlete. So, he’s got the ability to get away from defenders. You saw him make a play down the sideline… Really beautiful, accurate throw by Nico.

“He’s got the ability to get himself in great body position when he’s out in space and got people chasing him. When he doesn’t have the ability because of where the bodies are out in space, to get himself in perfect position, he’s still able to be accurate with the football. He’s got a really unique skillset as he’s breaking contain.”