Nico Iamaleava enters game at QB for Tennessee vs. UConn

Nico Iamaleava came in for the Tennessee Volunteers at quarterback Saturday afternoon. As the team dominated UConn, the freshman came in relief for starter Joe Milton.

It was the third game appearance for the freshman quarterback. In two appearances this year, Iamaleava is two-of-five passing for 11 yards and also ran twice for four yards.

In what could be the future of the position for the program, Tennessee had a prime opportunity to get Iamaleava some reps.

As a member of the Class of 2023, Iamaleava was a five-star recruit out of Long Beach (Calif.) Warren, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, the No. 3 quarterback in the class and the No. 6 overall prospect in the class.

Back in September, offensive coordinator Joey Halzle explained the value of getting Iamaleava on the field early.

“And then going against these guys this week, you’re going to get a multitude of pressures and coverages and it’s going to be great for everyone to see that, because that’s a huge eye discipline game,” Halzle said. “Which, once again, for whether he’s an older backup or a young guy coming in for his first couple snaps, it’s a huge game for him to have to define his eye.”

He though getting in the opener, in front of likely the largest crowd he’s played in front of to date, was a big milestone to hit for Iamaleava.

“One, just to take the field in front of that many people and calm your nerves down and trust your eyes and sometimes you call a play and you don’t even remember what the play is,” Halzle said. “It’s like, ‘Wait, what is that.’ So just getting that adrenaline spike and then calming yourself back down, that’s huge.”