Josh Heupel evaluates how ready Nico Iamaleava is to play

A lot of the buzz surrounding the Tennessee Volunteers this upcoming season is attached to quarterback Joe Milton, the physically gifted, strong-arm quarterback that will be unleashed in 2023 after waiting his turn as a backup.

But the Volunteers could have their next star quarterback already waiting in the wings yet again with true freshman Nico Iamaleava backing up Milton. And during fall camp, head coach Josh Heupel was asked if he believes Iamaleava would be ready if his number were ever called upon this season.

“I think he’s ready to play at a really high level,” Heupel confidently said. “All young quarterbacks, it’s different when you get out there and it’s live bullets and you don’t have a red jersey on. But feel really good about where he’s at. Command of our offense, being a really sound decision-maker, fundamentally being able to get himself in a good position to be consistently accurate with the ball. I like what he’s done.”

Iamaleava was a highly-rated recruit out of high school earning a five-star rating and a No. 3 ranking among all quarterbacks in the nation for the 2023 class according to On3’s Industry Ranking. The 6-foot-5.5 tall QB joined the Vols this offseason, even participating in the team’s practices ahead of the Orange Bowl, as Heupel revealed which traits he’s exhibited as a backup that could potentially translate to a future as the team’s starter.

“As a young man coming into the program understanding the standards that we have here but the demands of playing quarterback at this level,” Heupel said. “Being able to start to grasp and understand what’s going on from us up front, protections, defensive structure, being able to see, and recognize, and anticipate, and see post-snap rotations from the back end.”

Iamaleava already sounds like a fast-learning and detailed quarterback before even taking a single snap in a game for the Volunteers, a great sign for the program moving forward. And while it’s uncertain how much playing time he’ll be able to get this upcoming season, his first in-game snaps for the team will be closely watched as fans try to get a glimpse at what could be Tennessee’s bright future.

“At the end of the day controlling his job and having his eyes on the right spot. He’s a dramatically different player than he was in spring ball, love the steps that he took in the spring too. This football team’s got a lot of trust in him,” Heupel said.