Nico Iamaleava's throw on the run is exactly why Tennessee had to have him

Nico Iamaleava was flushed out of the pocket late in the second quarter Saturday in the Orange & White Game at Neyland Stadium. The five-star freshman quarterback rolled right, kept his eyes downfield and threw to freshman tight end Ethan Davis 30 yards downfield. 

The throw was placed where only Davis could catch it. Over the trailing defender, far enough away from the safety to take the safety out of the play, and just in front of the Tennessee sideline. 

Davis came down with the catch inbounds to convert on third-and-seven and keep the touchdown drive alive. Three plays later, freshman Cameron Seldon ran in from 24 yards out for the score. 

But after the game — after the White team beat the Orange team 17-14 — Iamaleava downplayed the head-turning throw he made on the run. The one he made look all too easy.

“Yeah, I think our whole quarterback room can make plays on the run,” Iamaleava said. “Coach Joey (Halzle) and Coach Mitch (Militello) do a good job repping it in practice.”

And, really, it’s the kind of throw Iamaleava has always been working on.

“Also when I go back home and train, we work on a lot of off-platform throws, on the run,” he said. “I think those training habits help me successful today.”

Josh Heupel: Nico Iamaleava has ‘a really good feel for a young guy’

The play was a perfect example of why head coach Josh Heupel had to have Iamaleava at Tennessee.

“His ability to do those things is certainly a skillset that was important to us in the recruiting process,” Heupel said on Saturday after the game. “He does have a really good feel for a young guy inside of the pocket, when to step up, when to escape out the back side. He is dynamic and explosive as just an athlete.

“He has got the ability to get away from defenders. You saw him make a play down the sideline. Ethan did a great job on a scramble drill, wheeling it down the sideline. A really beautiful, accurate throw by Nico.”

The scramble drill doesn’t scramble Iamaleava’s play. Instead, he excels outside the pocket.

“He has got the ability to get himself in great body position when he is out in space and he has got people chasing him,” Heupel continued. “When he doesn’t have the ability because of where the bodies are out in space to get himself in perfect position, he is able to still be accurate with the football. He has got a really unique skillset as a he is breaking contain.”

Iamaleava finished his unofficial Tennessee debut 8-for-16 passing for 112 yards. He was 2-for-6 for 21 yards while quarterbacking the White team and 6-for-10 for 91 yards when he was leading the Orange team, rotating possessions with redshirt senior Joe Milton III and redshirt junior Gaston Moore.

“I thought I did ok,” Iamaleava said. “I thought I we could’ve scored more when we got down to the red zone. Finish drives off more. But we’re working. We’ll get to that point where it’s green when we get down there in the red zone. But I thought overall as an offense we did ok.”

Five-star Nico Iamaleava was the No. 1 overall player in the 2023 class in the On3 ratings

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Iamaleava, out of Warren High School in Long Beach, Calif., has been in the spotlight at Tennessee since the day he committed back in March 2022. He headlined the 2023 recruiting class for the Vols, climbing all the way to No. 1 overall in the On3 ratings to finish prep career.

The announced crowd of 58,473 gave him a loud ovation when he got his first snap at quarterback, taking his turn on the spring game’s second drive.

Iamaleava was asked after the game if there were any nerves when he trotted onto the field. The answer: He didn’t have time for them. He was too busy trying to correct a mistake made on the practice field in the days leading up to the spring finale. 

“Nah, not nervous,” Iamelava said. “I think for me at the end of the day, it’s just football. Go out there and play and have fun. But nah, I think it was just because I messed that lay up earlier in spring practice this week. So I was just (thinking) I’m not messing this play up again. I was locked in on that one.”

“I was pretty locked in on the play, man,” he added. “First play, so I wasn’t trying to mess nothing up. I wasn’t really aware of the crowd reaction.”

But he was aware of the crowd. Playing in front of more than 58,000, even if it was just a split-squad scrimmage, was a first.

“I thought the atmosphere was great, man,” Iamaleava said. “Felt like a real game out there … I thought the atmosphere was great.”