Stressing importance of Nico Iamaleava in Tennessee’s running game

Nico Iamaleava is set to take over as Tennessee‘s starting quarterback after sitting behind Joe Milton for his true freshman season.

A former five-star recruit, Iamaleava brings a lot to the table with his versatility under center. Threatening any defense with his ability to run the football, VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs revealed how this could influence head coach Josh Heupel’s offense in 2024.

“Joe was a reluctant runner, not a willing runner, and I think Nico will be a more willing runner,” Hubbs told On3’s Andy Staples on Tuesday. “I think the other thing too is the processing of that. You’re seeing more and more of this — it’s not just read it and run, but it’s read it, and then are you running? Are you throwing the RPO out of it? Lots of different things you can do there and I think some of those possibilities are there, with Niko that weren’t there a year ago.”

The biggest sample size fans were allowed to see of their new QB1 came during the Vols’ 35-0 Citrus Bowl win over Iowa.

Iamaleava ultimately ended the Citrus Bowl win with three rushing touchdowns on 15 attempts while remaining consistent through the air with a 63% completion percentage on 12-of-19 passing to go with one touchdown pass and no interceptions. In total, he finished his true freshman season with 31 completions for 314 yards and two touchdowns.

“If you bring the quarterback legs into play, that changes sort of how [the defense] play you a little bit and that’s something that Tennessee had some difficulties with,” Hubbs continued. “If you go back to that Missouri game a year ago, they had a really hard time with Missouri’s defensive front and that overhang linebacker in that three-man front. … That’s something that I think Nico can help them with

“Not just his willingness to run with his legs, Andy, but also his processing because you’ve got to make some quick decisions. And I think he has the ability to process pretty quickly as he continues to grow in this offense.”

With Iamaleava’s ability to hurt defense’s through the air and on the ground, the former blue-chip prospect will look to build on Tennessee’s 9-4 record from one year ago. The Iamaleava era begins on Aug. 31 inside Neyland Stadium against Chattanooga. SEC play begins on Sept. 21 on the road at Oklahoma.