Josh Heupel highlights a crucial quality that Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava has that isn’t evident on television.
With his prototypical quarterback proportions (height/length), a huge arm, excellent field awareness, and the speed to be dangerous when holding the ball, Iamaleava is the top recruit in the 2023 class.
However, Iamaleava’s skill set goes beyond his physical prowess to distinguish him as a great quarterback.
Nico’s ability to process information quickly is what really elevates his game, according to Vols head coach Josh Heupel, who made this observation during an interview with Greg McElroy on Always College Football this week. This is something that isn’t immediately apparent from watching the young quarterback on television.
“He (Iamaleava) pushes every single day to have a deeper understanding, he’s detailed in the meeting room, he takes great notes, he’s continued to grow,” Heupel said. “The way he goes about becoming a great quarterback every single day. Really pleased with the progress we’ve witnessed.
He has a tremendous capacity to digest information across the center of the football field, which many players won’t see if they only watch him on TV. He has an excellent awareness of moving bodies and opening windows. He throws quite well while expecting. Extremely pleased with his performance throughout this offseason. To put himself in a position to play the way we need him to, he must obviously act with extreme urgency as spring ball nears its conclusion and during the summer.”
This is a particularly crucial quality in Heupel’s scheme since there are a lot of “choice routes” that call for coordination between the wide receiver and the quarterback.
Iamaleava’s aptitude for swift information processing and foresight makes him an ideal fit for Tennessee’s “letting it rip” mentality.
Before being elevated from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator in 2021, Joey Halzle, the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Volunteers, described this mindset.
“After hiring Halzle in 2021, we’re going to let him rip it all over the field,” the Tennessee staff remarked. We’re going to ask a lot of you, and since we won’t be holding your hands, I think that makes it quarterback-friendly. After teaching you and shaping you into the finest version of yourself, we’ll let you go so you may play ball on Saturdays. Guys aren’t made to act afraid by us. We don’t instill fear in them when they make errors. Cut it loose and get outside.”
In 2024, with Iamaleava in the center, Tennessee supporters must witness Heupel’s offensive at its most inventive and productive.
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