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What Josh Heupel said about Nico Iamaleava debut for Tennessee football vs. Virginia
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- What Josh Heupel said about Nico Iamaleava debut for Tennessee football vs. Virginia
NASHVILLE − Nico Iamaleava 's first pass flew barely beyond the reach of Kaleb Webb on Saturday, missing a touchdown by inches.
Tennessee football fans responded by chanting "Ni-co!" at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
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The Vols freshman quarterback made his anticipated debut late in UT's 49-13 win against Virginia after senior starter Joe Milton accounted for four touchdowns. He showed athletic ability in the pocket and poise. He showed a lot of the traits that Vols coach Josh Heupel has seen and expects to continue seeing.
"Really calm, cool," Heupel said. "Good demeanor. Able to communicate. Handled all the pre-snap stuff the right way. Get his eyes in the right place. ... All in all, a really solid performance from him."
Iamaleava was 2-for-3 passing for 11 yards. He ran once for an 8-yard gain. Milton was 21-for-30 passing for 201 yards and two touchdowns against Virginia . He rushed for two touchdowns.
Iamaleava, a five-star prospect in the 2023 class, entered with 12:46 to play in the fourth quarter. He ran on his second play, escaping pressure and running through a tackler. He missed the pass to Webb in the end zone after again eluding pass rusher, then completed a 6-yard pass to Webb. He completed another pass to Webb on his second drive, gaining 5 yards.
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"I thought he showed some athleticism," Heupel said. "I love the feel in the pocket, being able to step up and get out of it and go make a play with his feet. He is athletic enough to be used in the run game and escape the pocket. I thought some of the run-pass stuff he did a good job of. Made an athletic throw, didn't complete it — throwing across his body on a little slant route."
Iamaleava was ranked as the No. 2 recruit nationally in the 247Sports Composite, which slotted him as the third-best Vols recruit in the recruiting era since 2000.
The coveted prospect from California committed to the Vols in March 2022 and chose them over Georgia, Oregon , Alabama and Miami, among dozens of scholarship offers. Iamaleava enrolled at Tennessee in December and took part in Orange Bowl practices. He ran the scout team as Cade Klubnik , who started for Clemson in UT's 31-14 win on Dec. 30.
Iamaleava is one of two scholarship quarterbacks on the Tennessee roster, along with the senior Milton. Gaston Moore and Navy Shuler are reserves.
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Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ ByMikeWilson . If you enjoy Mike's coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Josh Heupel pleased with Nico Iamaleava's debut for Tennessee football
