Nico Iamaleava throws first career TD pass for Tennessee

Nico Iamaleava entered the third game of his career and third time’s the charm as he threw his first career touchdown pass.

Leading 49-3 over UConn, Tennessee made the quarterback switch and let Joe Milton get some rest. From there, the freshman took over.

Look below to see Iamaleava’s first career college touchdown throw.

5-star True Freshman QB Nico Iamaleava records his first collegiate TD for the Vols🍊

Iamaleava was the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 On300🔥pic.twitter.com/UM6qVN4fSa

— On3 (@On3sports) November 4, 2023

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.”