Joey Halzle reveals Nico Iamaleava called out Tennessee players in practice

The Tennessee Volunteers made the College Football Playoff in 2024, which was the first season that Nico Iamaleava took over as the full-time starter at quarterback. Now, the Volunteers are looking to build on that success and improve in 2025.

A key to that improvement is going to be the growth of Iamaleava. That includes his role as a leader. However, as quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle explained, he’s not the type of person to often get into other people’s faces. That is, with the exception of a recent example that he was able to share from a recent Volunteers spring practice.

“If he tried to start going rah rah right now it wouldn’t hit,” Joey Halzle said. “Because that’s just not him and he doesn’t do that. But what he did, like he did it today, he didn’t like something he saw, he called the guys up and said, ‘Hey,’ he addressed it right now and we moved on.”

Iamaleava is now a redshirt sophomore. He came to Tennessee as a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. As a true freshman in 2023, he backed up Joe Milton, using a redshirt. Then, in 2024, as a redshirt freshman, he took over the offense. Now in his third season with the Tennessee program, Iamaleava continues to grow.

“Like he’s not gonna ever just start screaming and like throwing stuff that’s not him,” Halzle said. “But what he will do is step up and see something that he doesn’t think is right and he stepped in front of the group and addressed it in the way that fit him. It was assertive but it wasn’t anything that wasn’t him.”

During his own media availability, Iamaleava was asked about that moment in practice. However, by then, he wanted to keep things to himself and leave what happens at practice for the team to know.

“I think I’d rather not discuss what we did as a team,” Iamaleava said. “What happens out there stays out there on the field.”

Much is expected of Iamaleava in 2025. Early betting lines for the Heisman Trophy give him +1100 odds to win the prestigious award. That’s a tie for third in the highest odds. He’s also key in early Top 25 rankings for the 2025 season having the Volunteers ranked highly.

Tennessee opens the regular season on August 30th. That will be a neutral site game against Syracuse. A week later, the Volunteers play their first game at Neyland Stadium.