Nico Iamaleava Putting Weight On Early During Camp

Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava is one of one; It's tough to find holes in his game, but weight was a concern. It appears that narrative is subsiding quickly.

Everyone knows what kind of potential Nico Iamaleava has. The freshman out of California is already a household name in Knoxville. There is not a throw that he cannot make on the football field. He's got the height and arm of an NFL-level quarterback. With Iamaleava, one of the main focus areas is getting his weight up.

With an elite-caliber SEC strength program, there should be little doubt that Nico will get where he needs to get on the scale. According to Eric Cain of Volquest.com, Nico says he has already put on 12 pounds after showing up to Knoxville, listed at 198 pounds. Iamaleava told the media that Josh Heupel and his staff would like him to be around 215-220 pounds by the season opener. 

Tennessee #Vols freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava says he is weighing 210 pounds right now.

Says he weighed in at 198 pounds when he arrived and that the staff wants him at 215-220 pounds by the opener.

— Eric Cain (@_Cainer) March 23, 2023

If Iamaleava can win the job, there is no reason to believe that being under any kind of weight quota would prevent him from succeeding. We are in an era where little guys like Kyler Murray and Bryce Young win Heisman Trophies and conference titles. However, 15-20 extra pounds of muscle can do nothing but help the young gunslinger as he enters year one in Knoxville. 

In other news for Iamaleava, he says that learning the playbook has been "super fun" with the help of fellow quarterback Joe Milton III. While the two likely compete, it does not stand in the way of a bond and teamwork between the signal callers. As far as what is difficult about learning Josh Heupel's innovative system, Nico pointed to the tempo and tried to get that down. 

Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee QB

For Iamaleava, the expectation is just to be ready. He told the media, "I'm trying to get prepared as fast as I can and be ready whenever my number's called, and help Joe out the best way possible I can." With Iamaleava packing on weight and catching on to the scheme, mixed with his innate ability and mentoring from Milton, the sky is truly the limit for Nico and the Vols.

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