Nico Iamaleava Talks Tennessee, First Few Weeks With Team

Tennessee quarterback signee Nico Iamaleava caught up with CBS Sports at the Polynesian Bowl to discuss his first few weeks with the Volunteers.

Fans should key in on the Polynesian Bowl. The festivities kick off this week, and Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava was the first to arrive in Hawaii for bowl practices.

CBS Sports caught up with the uber-talented signal caller to talk about his first three weeks with the Volunteers. Iamaleava impressed, coming away as grounded and humble despite his immense stature and fame.

He detailed his timeline, as these few weeks can be the busiest times in a young recruit's life. It has been nonstop football for the past month and will intensify in the coming days.

"I was there for two and a half weeks, then flew to Miami for a week, and then I flew home for a little bit. I'll fly out to Tennessee the day I get back."

Live reps are everything for a young quarterback. Iamaleava described the Tennessee environment and what it was like to meet his future teammates. Several members of his signing class joined the team, and he noted that several times.

"It was a great experience for me. Just being able to experience bowl practices and practice with the team and get live reps with them was a big thing for me. I had a blast with the team; just getting to know the guys on the team and in my '23 class was amazing."

Iamaleava shared that he ran scout team quarterback during bowl practices, which allowed him to play against the first-team defense. He laughed about how competitive and athletic the competition was and how much fun he had.

"The biggest adjustment for me was the speed of the game. I knew going into it that football was going to be football, but everybody's big out there, everybody can move. I had a blast going against the 1's defense; I was the scout team quarterback, so it was cool to get those reps against the 1's defense and show my skill set. I had fun out there."

The most difficult thing about transitioning to college is the playbook. While weightlifting, course management, and game speed are near impossible, it can take players years to learn the system.

Fortunately, head coach Josh Heupel runs a quarterback-friendly offense. It asks a lot, but the rewards are immense, as evidenced by Hendon Hooker's statistics over the past two years in Knoxville.

"I'd say once you get some of the verbiage down, it'll start to click. I'm still trying to get the verbiage down, but it being my first three weeks there and seeing how things operate with Coach Heup and Coach Joey. We don't have Coach Golesh now, but happy for him. Seeing the QB room operates and guys like that; it was a great experience to learn."

Many think Iamaleava could contend for starting snaps. Joe Milton is the leader for the job, but it's hard to justify keeping Iamaleava off the field. While he could act entitled, Iamaleava chose the humble path, saying he welcomes whatever chances he gets.

"It's been my goal since day one to go out there and compete with whoever's the guy. But I also look forward to learning from guys like Joe, Navy, Gaston, and the whole QB room. We have a great QB room, and my first three weeks there, it just felt good to be a part of. Nobody has an ego; everybody gets along well. Whether it's competing for the job, backing up Joe, or backing up whoever it is, I look forward to learning. It'll be freshman year, so I know there will be some adjustments to college, but I look forward to wherever that spot is."

Recruits have difficulty finding a good home, especially in today's game. Coaches often give empty promises they can't fulfill, leaving prospects in no man's land immediately.

Thus far, Iamaleava says Tennessee has been as advertised. It's been a change moving from California to the southeast, but he knew what he was getting into and loves every part of the Volunteers.

"They told me what it was going to be, man. I went to the Vanderbilt game; Tennessee wasn't known at the time, but I knew with guys like Coach Heup, and just seeing how they coach, I knew they were going to build that program up to be as great as it is right now. I look forward to continuing to build that. Everything has been what they said it was and more. I think we have the best coaches in college football, just my first three weeks being there. We got the best college football coaches out there, for sure."

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