Josh Heupel Offers Thoughts On Nico Iamaleava

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel offered his thoughts on quarterback Nico Iamaleava getting his first career start in the Citrus Bowl.

Tennessee will be without its starting quarterback in the Citrus Bowl. Joe Milton III declared for the NFL Draft and will not play in the game, leaving freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava in line to get his first start against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Though Iamaleava only has four collegiate appearances on his resume, head coach Josh Heupel projected a lot of confidence in his young starter when meeting with the media on Wednesday.

"This is going be his first start. At the end of the day, we’ve got to play well enough. He’s got to play well enough to help us go win this football game. That’s ultimately what we’re trying to accomplish. I said it to the guys earlier, it’s important anytime you have a young player, and I don’t care what position he’s playing, that the other 10 guys around him play at a really high level and do the ordinary things really consistently to allow that guy to function and operate at the level that he’s capable of. Listen, this game’s never perfect. We don’t expect Nico to go out and play perfect. Expect him to reset and give our playmakers an opportunity to go make plays."

Iamaleava was the No. 3 prospect in the 2023 class, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He's the crown jewel of Heupel's recruiting efforts through his first three years with the team. The Iamaleava era is about to begin in Knoxville, Tennessee, and we are in for an interesting ride moving forward.

Tennessee Volunteers QB Nico Iamaleava during the loss to Missouri. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff of USA Today Sports)

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