Nico Iamaleava admits the pace of Tennessee's offense was a bit of a shock

No matter how highly thought of the quarterback is, the Tennessee offense takes some time to get used to. Josh Heupel is running a complex system in Knoxville, one Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton took time to adjust to. But when it’s flowing — as we say in 2022 — the results are incredible.

Nico Iamaleava is the latest to be brought into the system, admitting there were shocking aspects when he arrive on Rocky Top. He spent plenty of time watching Tennessee run the offense once committing. However, now that Iamaleava is inside the program, he is seeing completely different things.

“It was definitely a shock,” Iamaleava said. “You can see it from the outside looking in but once you’re actually in the offense and you’ve got live plays flying and you got to run the offense — it’s way different.”

Iamaleava played high school football at Long Beach (CA) Warren, where he was a five-star prospect. He was the No. 6 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Even with how highly rated Iamaleava was coming out of high school, he was always going to need time to adjust. Being an early enrollee certainly helped, letting him go through spring practice and getting time to adjust. An extra 16 practices can go a far way for any player but especially quarterbacks.

Iamaleava now believes he is up to speed and if called upon, he will be ready to go.

“So, I think that took a little bit for me to adjust to,” Iamaleava. “Just getting the calls out there, getting my reads. With the tempo we run, a lot of stuff processes faster. I think I’ve done a good job with that.”

In the most likely scenario, Iamaleava spends the entire 2023 season behind Milton, continuing to learn Huepel’s system. He may even get some playing time if Tennessee is able to pull away in a few games. Everything depends on how Heupel will want to manage his freshman stud.

For now, all he can do is continue to slowly make progress with engraining himself in the offense. Before Iamaleava knows it, he will have a real chance of becoming the 2024 season. Many in Knoxville are ready for Iamaleava to see the field but as with everything, it’s a process toward achieving the goal.