Joey Halzle has ‘huge confidence’ in Nico Iamaleava if needed

The Tennessee football team will be going through a quarterback transition this fall with Joe Milton taking over for the departed Hendon Hooker, but don’t sleep on backup quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

The talented freshman has impressed his coaches since arriving on campus over the winter.

“Huge confidence in him. That guy is mature beyond his years,” Tennessee offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle said on Tuesday. “He didn’t come in like a true freshman. He came in, one, wanting to learn, not thinking that like I’m a highly rated recruit, I’ve got it figured out. Like he came in understanding I want to learn, I need to know.”

Nico Iamaleava is a very well-known recruit, one of the most high-profile prospects to secure a major NIL deal early on. He’s been all Tennessee ever since.

By the rankings, the Volunteers hauled in the No. 6 overall player in the 2023 class and the No. 3 quarterback in the class. Nico Iamaleava, a five-star prospect, also ranked as the top overall player from the state of California in his cycle.

Just about everything Tennessee’s coaches have seen so far justifies those lofty rankings.

“Then the way that guy has his calmness on the field, his demeanor, I think the guys believe in him as well that if he’s called upon to do a job, that dude will step in and compete at a high level and perform at a high level,” Halzle said. “So we’ve got a ton of confidence in that guy.”

Replacing the production that Tennessee lost won’t be easy, though. Milton will be counted on as the guy to do that, and the shoes Hooker left are large.

In 2022, Hooker accounted for 3,135 yards passing with a 27 touchdown to two interception ratio. He also added 430 yards and five touchdowns rushing.

Milton definitely looked the part in taking over for an injured Hooker last season. He helped lead a 56-0 win over Vanderbilt on the road, then orchestrated a 31-14 win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl. Milton finished that Orange Bowl game with 251 yards passing, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Tennessee will hope that Milton can get the job done and it doesn’t have to turn to Nico Iamaleava this fall, but all indications are that the freshman will be ready if called on.

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