Highly-touted QB Nico Iamaleava details Big Orange experience
Third times the charm.
After rescheduling two game day trips to Knoxville, four-star quarterback and a Rivals Top-50 prospect - Nico Iamaleava - was in house for Tennessee’s regular-season finale victory over Vanderbilt Saturday afternoon.
“We’ve been wanting to get here for the longest time. Something always just came up. But today was great,” the 2023 recruit told Volquest. “It was a great experience. Just being here and the whole family environment. It was great and I enjoyed my time here.”
Vols quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle spotted Iamaleava over the offseason and has kept close tabs on him since. Josh Heupel didn’t take long to join in on the pitch as the two are trying to lure one of the more talented quarterbacks in the country to Knoxville.
“Coach Heupel is preaching that I’m a game changer. He thinks I can come in here and help rebuilt this place back to the greatness that it was,” the quarterback said. “He’s told me I have a chance to come in and compete with anyone and start as a freshman.”
The Tennessee target stands in at 6-foot-6, 205 pounds and is tabbed as the 48th player in the 2023 class. He’s listed as the No. 4 pro-style quarterback and the third highest-rated player in California.
The Warren High School standout was excited to see the Tennessee offense in person for the first time.
“It was great seeing it live and seeing how the offense works,” Iamaleava said. “I always see this offense put up crazy amounts of points on TV, so it was great to see live.”
When asked about the tempo?
“It was way faster than what I thought it would be,” the quarterback exclaimed. “The tempo was crazy. I would record a play on my phone, go to save it and by the time I looked back up, they were going again. I think tempo is everything when you come to college – especially in the SEC.”
Iamaleava admitted he really didn’t know what to expect when coming across country to Knoxville. He heard about the crowds and knew about the football tradition, but there were a lot of unknowns about the Orange & White prior to today.
“I’ve gotten pictures from Tennessee, but now having been here and seeing the atmosphere that they play in – it was great,” the prospect said. “The game overall went well. Then offense is dynamic. The fans. The coaches. Really, family is a big thing for me, and I really felt the family environment here.
“Today did a lot [for Tennessee]. I wasn’t expecting what I got out of this trip. It definitely plays a huge role in my recruitment and definitely one of my top choices now.”
The Downey, Calif. native enjoyed watching Hendon Hooker play on Saturday and the ‘decisive decisions’ he was making each play. Iamaleava noticed and appreciated the amount of ‘love’ the coaches were showing him while in town, and of course, the quarterback prospect was mesmerized by the Tennessee fan base.
“It was great feeling the love from everyone here, the fans especially. They were shouting my name out and telling me it would be a great spot here. I definitely felt the love from the fans and coaches,” the athlete said afterwards. “This was totally different. No coaches have been locked into me during the [Vol] walk. That was a little different. It was great feeling the love from coaches.”
Iamaleava has made several stops this fall. He was at Alabama last weekend and Georgia a few weekends ago. He’s been to USC and Notre Dame, as well as UCLA and others over the course of the past few months.
It’s safe to say that Tennessee has made an impression on the signal-caller. The Vols could be a player in this one but will need to win him back on campus via an official visit over the course of the next calendar year.