In the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava made his first career start against Iowa and quickly gained attention. In the second quarter, the former five-star recruit scored his first touchdown of the season on a 19-yard run. Seven minutes later, he added another one. He completes 7 of 13 throws for 94 passing yards at halftime, and on 10 tries (four sacks), he gains 23 rushing yards.
The Athletic’s David Ubben wrote on social media in the first half of the game, “Tennessee has only played a tiny number of defenses better than the one it faces today, a pretty strong start to Nico Iamaleava’s career so far.”
Iamaleava rated as the No. 2 overall prospect and No. 2 quarterback in the class of 2023. He’s the highest-rated recruit to commit to the Volunteers since 2010 and the third-highest in the modern recruiting era behind running back Bryce Brown (2009) and safety Eric Berry (2007).
Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle praised Iamaleava’s dedication to film study on Friday.
“In his defensive recognition, he really dug into that,” Halzle said. “A lot of freshman quarterbacks are just like, ‘Cool, teach me the plays, and I’ll figure it out.’ Like he really wanted to dive into, ‘Alright, how do I judge a defense? What am I getting as far as tips and how do I know when I’m getting pressure, when am I hot, when am I not?’ He really dug into that, like I said at the beginning, not like most true freshmen handle themselves. He was big into that side of it.”
Halzle said he was impressed by Iamaleava’s willingness to refine his mechanics upon arriving in Knoxville, a rarity for recruits with his type of pedigree.
