What Nico Iamaleava said after Tennessee's Orange & White Game on Saturday

What Tennessee sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava said after the Orange & White Game on Saturday, when he completed 7 of 9 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown in limited action in the split-squad scrimmage:

What he thought of the play of Tennessee freshman QB Jake Merklinger 

“Man, I think he played great. Going into his first spring game, I thought he did a great job on operating the offense, operating our tempo. I thought he did well.”

Josh Heupel saying this is this deepest wide receiver group he’s had

“I think we just got a lot in our receiver room. A lot more more receiver depth than we’ve had before. And then you add the size to it, a lot of young guys that can play up,  like Mike Matthews, Braylon Stanley. It’s fun to see this receiver room grow to what it has become and I’m excited to go out there and play with those guys.”

How much more prepared he feels now compared to this time last year

“Yeah, I mean obviously I think I’ve got more of a grasp of the offense, what we’re trying to do. And yeah, just coming to this year, preparing the way that we’ve been preparing with our whole QB room, me and Gaston, and continuing to work every day. Yeah, man, I think that’s been our whole mindset this year.”

What he stood out about Mike Matthews in the Orange & White game and during Tennessee’s spring practices

“I just think his catch radius, man, he can go up and get the ball at a high. As you know, it’s rare seeing that from young guys coming in, but I think Mike Matthews, him coming in, I think we’ve expected that of him. And he’s showing that every day in spring.”

What kind of freedom he has in Tennessee’s offense to make checks at the line

“I think our coaches give the whole QB room the keys to go out there and succeed. Checking when it needs to be checked. I think the whole QB room, like I said, has the ability to go out there and do that. I think it’s just more of being prepared and knowing your job well at a high level.”

Sitting on the bench with Joe Milton during the second half of the Orange & White Game

“It is fun always having Joe back, man. It’s never anything new when he comes back. He’s always welcome to our QB room, our meetings and stuff. So yeah, it was great to have him on the side with us and just us spending time together.”

The progress of the Tennessee’s offensive line to this point and where it’s headed entering the summer offseason

“Very pleased with the steps that we’ve been taking. A lot of young guys on the (offensive) line taking more reps. I think they’ve done a great job on carrying that load. Carrying that burden on them. And yeah, I think the O-line has done a great job on getting better every day.”

What he saw from Tennessee’s defense this spring

“It’s great, man, going out there and competing with with them. I think we’ve got one of the best (defensive) line interiors out there in the country. I think overall, how the defense plays, we got a lot of young guys, old guys, and I think they’re meshing well on the defensive side. I love competing with them every day.” 

What the next steps in his leadership looks like for this Tennessee football team 

“I’ve been working on just being more vocal with the guys, being louder for them when I need to be. When addressing the offense, when it needs to be addressed. And yeah, I think I’ve been taking good steps and being more vocal with the guys.”

How much he has to think about being more vocal across the offense 

“A little bit more. I think I’m more of a quiet guy so it’s definitely different for me to get out of my shell and go out there and celebrate with everybody. And it’s something I’m continuing to work on.”