Tennessee Freshman Faces: Nico Iamaleava

An introduction to one of the Tennessee Volunteers' newest additions to the program: five-star quarterback signee Nico Iamaleava.

Nico Iamaleava is one of Tennessee's four quarterbacks on the roster for the upcoming 2023-24 season. From Downey, California, he is a 6-foot-6-inch, 205-pound prospect with lots of high hopes for his upcoming collegiate career.

In the class of 2023, he was ranked No. 2 overall in the nation behind just Arch Manning, who committed to Texas. He has much to offer the Volunteers in the upcoming season with a great, commanding pocket presence and a strong arm.

The former five-star had lots of choices. However, Iamaleava's frequent visits to Knoxville hinted at his interest in the school. He visited for two of the Vols games against Florida and Kentucky. Iamaleava frequently gave the coaching staff strong reviews during his recruiting process. "I told them what the coaching staff told me, and they've pretty much held up their end of the word from when I committed. It's exciting to see what they're doing right now with this class, and I can't wait to see what our class does." The trust in the coaching staff and a great start to last season were two huge reasons for his commitment to Rocky Top. Iamaleava recently completed spring practice with the team and had a lot of great looks from the coaching staff.

Here is what he had to say in a press conference early on in spring practices, "It's been super fun learning from Joe [Milton]. It has been slowing down for me, and I am not really thinking that much about it. It's taking everything from coach Joey [Halzle], coach Mitch [Militello], and Joe [Milton] and taking it day-by-day." lamaleava also had a strong spring game throwing for 112 yards on a 50% completion rate (8 for 16). He made some eye-popping throws that reminded many of the talent, but he's still evening things out. The Vols quarterback after the spring game: "At the end of the day, for me, it is just football. I go out there and play and have fun." The future looks bright for the California prodigy in Knoxville. 

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