Josh Heupel describes adapting to changing quarterbacks over last three offseasons

The Tennessee football team has risen to new heights under coach Josh Heupel, in large part due to increased production at the quarterback position. Heupel has gotten the most out of Hendon Hooker, Joe Milton and now hopefully Nico Iamaleava.

Expectations are higher for Iamaleava than either of the former two quarterbacks, who helped take Tennessee to the Orange Bowl and the Citrus Bowl in back-to-back years.

The transition to Iamaleava has already begun in some ways, with Milton opting out of the Citrus Bowl and allowing for Iamaleava to get his first start.

Spring ball will continue the growth phase.

“This time of year begins that process,” Josh Heupel told On3’s JD PicKell. “You have an understanding of who left your building, who’s in the building. You try to forecast the things that you’re going to need to be successful in situational football in particular, in all three phases of the game.”

Iamaleava had an encouraging first start, leading the Volunteers to a 35-0 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes. He finished 12-of-19 passing for 151 yards and a touchdown, also rushing for 27 yards and three touchdowns.

He’s got all the talent in the world, and Heupel has proven he can unlock it.

The Tennessee head coach did that when he led Hooker to a remarkable 2022 campaign in which he finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Hooker finished his senior season at Tennessee — a season that was cut a little short due to injury — with 3,135 yards passing, 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He also ran for 430 yards and five scores.

Milton didn’t quite have that level of success last fall, so the Volunteers will be trying to engineer a way to get more out of Iamaleava.

“You try to adapt and change based off of the personnel that you have in the building, some schemes that you want to introduce,” Josh Heupel said. “You’re also going to go through that process throughout the course of spring ball and training camp before you make final decisions. But you’re trying to continually evolve in everything that you’re doing.”

If that evolution goes according to plan and recruiting rankings hold pretty accurate, Tennessee should have one of the best quarterbacks in the league and a relatively seamless transition.