Ollie Lane shares insight on Tennessee's quarterbacks from practice

All anyone can talk about in Knoxville these days are quarterbacks. Whether it’s Hendon Hooker getting drafted later this month in the NFL draft or the two stars on campus, Tennessee is about to have a good run at the position. All of the credit can be given to head coach Josh Heupel, as the Vols are just getting underway.

Joe Milton and Nico Iamaleava are the two currently going through spring practice, with the freshman, in particular, raising eyebrows. Tennessee offensive lineman Ollie Lane has been thoroughly impressed himself, saying Iamaleava’s recruiting ranking is justified to this point.

“Quarterback-wise, I love Joe,” Lane said. “I think he’s had a great spring so far. Nico has really surprised me. Obviously, being a highly-rated recruit — he’s come in and fit exactly what everybody was saying about him. Excited to see what the future of Tennessee has with Nico.”

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.

Everyone has wanted to know how the freshman is performing and the reviews have been high. Lane is just echoing what Heupel has said — stating how truly talented Iamaleava is. Everyone knows when Iamaleava is thrown into the starting role, Tennessee is going to be in a good place.

Joe Milton expected to start for Tennessee this fall

Iamaleava might be getting some of the headlines but Milton is still expected to be the guy for Tennessee. He has been in the program for three years now, mainly serving as the backup for Hooker despite originally winning the job. Now, the thought is Milton will take over as the starting quarterback and there is a palpable buzz surrounding him.

There is a good reason Milton is receiving hype around town. When he came in relief of Hooker during Tennessee’s Orange Bowl win against Clemson, he had the best game of his career. Milton threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns while completing 67.9% of his throws.

Everyone might want to talk about Iamaleava and the future of the program. However, players on the team are still seeing positive things from Milton and will feel to be in good hands come the season opener against Virginia on Sept. 2.