As a welcome to being a college football starting quarterback, Nico Iamaleava is being gifted a top-five defense in his first career start.
The true freshman was named the starter for Tennessee in the wake of Joe Milton III opting out of the game. Now, he will go up against an Iowa stop that ranks fourth nationally in points allowed per game.
Iamaleava isn't afraid of the challenge, though. Instead, he says he's ready for the moment.
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"It should be good, man, my first start going against the top-five defense," said Iamaleava. "I’m ready for the challenge and I’m ready to go out there and compete with my brothers."
The Hawkeyes currently allow just 13.2 points and 274.8 yards per game. Head coach Josh Heupel says the film matches the numbers and Iamaleava seems to agree.
"They’re very disciplined and they make tackles in open field," said Iamaleava. "I think they're just a very disciplined team that does their job well. From starting up front, going to their back end, I think they all do their job well.”
As a freshman, Iamaleava has had to grow figuratively and literally in 2023. Along with putting on extra weight, he has refined his game to be ready for this moment.
With the help of the coaching staff and Milton, he's taken strides since arriving on campus a year ago.
While some quarterbacks may have gotten frustrated with little playing time over the course of the seaosn, Iamaleava took it as a chance to learn under a veteran.
"Going into the season, just having Joe, I knew I was going to be able to learn a lot," said Iamaleava. "Learn how to be a college football player, learn how to be a pro. So it was huge for me to learn under Joe this year."
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Joe Milton's top performances as Tennessee quarterback
Now, Iamaleava is receiving the torch Milton has passed.
This goes beyond just play on the field. As the starting quarterback, Iamaleava will be looked to as a leader. It doesn't matter the experience or age of the signal caller, the position comes with the territory.
"Quarterback comes with leadership," said Iamaleava. "Quarterback comes with playing well, so going into the game, I think I’ve always tried to lead as a quarterback. That’s what you've got to do as the leader of the team."
On Monday, Iamaleava will take the field with one goal in mind.
With expectations high, he isn't worried about personal accolades. Instead, he is just focused on winning.
"I’m just looking forward to going out there and getting a win," said Iamaleava. "That’s really all I’m looking forward to. However it comes, as long as we come out with a win, I think it’ll be fun.”
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