For the first time under Josh Heupel, Tennessee football is starting a largely inexperienced quarterback to begin the season.
After Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton III ran the offense, redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava is taking the reins with just a single start under his belt in the Citrus Bowl win over Iowa.
There isn't any time to wait, though. With a loaded schedule in the front half of the season including a neutral site bout with NC State in game two and a trip to Norman to face Oklahoma on the road in game four, Iamaleava will be asked to play at a high level out the gate.
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"We want him to hit the ground running," Heupel said at SEC Media Days. "He's a young quarterback. Played really well in the bowl game. He's going to continue to grow. Through all of his experiences here throughout the course of the season, he's only going to continue to get better from all of those. But we expect him to play at a really high level from the very beginning, and we need that from him."
Getting handed the keys to Heupel's offense shows the coach's faith in the young signal caller. As a five-star recruit and the No. 2 overall player in the 2023 class, the skillset is apparent.
This was on display throughout his freshman season as he delivered strikes inside the pocket but also showed off an elite ability to make accurate throws on the run.
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There hasn't been any complacency since arriving on campus, though. Iamaleava quickly got to work in an attempt to garner the respect of his teammates.
As Heupel put it, he has 'the ability to throw the football sideline to sideline, vertically down the football field, extremely accurate, loose, quick-triggered arm' along with 'the ability to extend and make plays with his feet, as a runner, evading and making a play down the field.'
While those tangibles are great, to be the starter, you have to consitently show up as a leader.
"The thing that I've loved about Nico is when he came into the building, he wanted to earn the respect of his teammates, and you do that through your actions, not your words," Heupel said. "Everybody understands how hard he works to become the best that he can at his craft. He takes great ownership in his skill set and developing it, understanding of our offense."
The accumulation of a season worth of improvement was on display in the bowl game win over the Hawkeyes. He threw for 151 yards and a touchdown and ran for three scores in the dismantling of an Iowa team that boasted one of the best defenses in the country.
Iamaleava took a lot from that experience but knew there was still room to improve. That's been the goal this off-season and he hasn't wasted any time. Heupel called it an 'urgency' to prepare for his increased role.
This mindset has caught the attention of his teammates, as well. Cooper Mays, one of the preseason picks to be on an All-SEC team, will be snapping the ball to Iamaleava throughout the season.
Mays has now played with Hooker, Milton and Iamaleava, giving him experience in snapping for effective quarterbacks. Although Iamaleava is much younger and more inexperienced than the former quarterbacks, Mays likes what he sees so far.
"Really excited for Nico," Mays said. "A kid that has come in and just gotten right to work and been really humble and really a kid that's willing to soak up any information that anybody will give him."
The Vols will open the season on August 31 in Neyland Stadium against Chattanooga. This will be the first of many tests for Iamaleava as he adjusts to life as the starter in Knoxville.
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