Tennessee Vols wrap up spring practice with Nico Iamaleava finally under center
The Nico Iamaleava era finally has arrived at Tennessee.
Sure, the No. 2 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class debuted in the Vols’ rout of Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. Now the quarterback caps Tennessee’s spring practice Saturday giving fans a glimpse of how much he’s grown before the Vols’ season opener Aug. 31 against Chattanooga.
“I know what I came here to do, and it’s my job to go get that done,” Iamaleava said.
He’s the first quarterback that coach Josh Heupel signed out of high school to run his up-tempo offense at Tennessee. Iamaleava arrived on campus in December 2022 to start learning behind Joe Milton, redshirting after playing in five games in 2023.
When Milton opted out of the bowl game, Iamaleava took over as Tennessee’s starter. He ran for three touchdowns and threw for another score in a 35-0 rout that helped the Vols finish the 2023 season ranked No. 17.