Nico Iamaleava stood in the pocket for a second, then rolled to his right.
It was only a spring game. If the defensive linemen in pursuit of Iamaleava caught up to him, just a touch would be needed to end the play. Nothing was on the line other than completing four weeks of spring practices without injury. But on this play late in the second quarter, Tennessee's freshman quarterback made the kind of throw 58,000-plus fans on hand at Neyland Stadium had waited for since Iamaleava's commitment last summer.
He kept his eyes downfield, released the ball on the run and put it into a spot where only freshman tight end Ethan Davis could get it along the sideline for a gain of 20 yards and a first down.
As far as spring games go, Saturday's Orange and White Game went as planned. The Orange team won 17-14. Four wide receivers expected to be key contributors didn't play. Starting quarterback Joe Milton III tossed for 79 yards and a touchdown in limited action. Walk-on and presumed third-stringer Gaston Moore finished with 94 yards passing and two more scores.
Iamaleava's performance–8-of-16 passing for 112 yards–provided at least a sample size of what Tennessee will have in its backup quarterback in the fall.
"His ability to do those things is certainly a skill set that was important to us in the recruiting process," Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. "He does have a really good feel for a young guy inside of the pocket...He's dynamic and explosive as just an athlete, so he's got the ability to get away from defenders. You saw him make a play down the side and he did a great job on the scramble drill, wheeling it on the sideline. Really beautiful, accurate throw by Nico.
"He's got the ability to get himself in great body position when he's out in space when he's got people chasing him and when he doesn't have the ability because of where the bodies are out in space, get himself in perfect position. He's still able to be accurate with the football. He's got a really unique skillset as he breaking containment."
"I played OK," Iamaleava added. "I thought we could have scored more when we got to the redzone and finished drives off. We are working. We will get to that point where it is green when we get down in the redzone. I thought overall as an offense we did OK."
For an incoming quarterback that was practicing with the team ahead of the Orange Bowl in December instead of preparing for his last semester of high school, Iamaleava arrived in Knoxville with a plethora of expectations.
He started spring camp fourth on the depth chart but unsurprisingly worked his way up. If a spring game can produce pressure, Iamaleava wasn't feeling it, even in front of the sixth-largest crowd to see an Orange and White Game in program history.
"I was not nervous," Iamaleava said. "I think for me, at the end of the day, it's just football. You go out there, play and have fun. It was because I messed up that first play in spring practice this week that I was like, 'I'm not messing this play up again.'"
Of course, Iamaleava's transition can be credited to Milton, the veteran of the group.
Milton entered and exited spring as the unquestioned starter after taking over for Hendon Hooker late last season and leading Tennessee to convincing wins over Vanderbilt and Clemson.
Sharing a quarterbacks room with Hooker the last two seasons prepared Milton to take on a similar role with Iamaleava behind him, which could prove to be as important as anything he does on the field next season.
"I've always looked up to Joe on my recruiting visits," Iamaleava said. "When I met him, I always knew he was going to be there for me when I got in here. It's been tremendous, he's been a real big brother helping out with the offense and everything, the playbook an stuff. Off the field, too, we're like brothers. It's been a cool ride with us."
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