Tennessee football fans can expect to see much more of quarterback Nico Iamaleava later this year.
Much more as in playing time, with the sophomore now the clear-cut starter after serving last season as the backup to Joe Milton III. Much more also as in Iamaleava himself.
The former five-star signee from Long Beach, California, arrived in December 2022 as a 6-foot-6, 190-pound spaghetti noodle of an athlete, but Iamaleava proudly stated this week he is up to 215 due to his continuing consumption.
"It's gotten easier eating more meals a day," Iamaleava said Monday in a news conference. "Sometimes I enjoy it and sometimes I don't, but I've got to get it done."
The Volunteers held their fifth spring practice Monday, took Tuesday off and will scrimmage for the first time Wednesday morning.
Following Tennessee's 8-4 regular season in which Milton started all 12 games, Iamaleava assumed the reins in the Citrus Bowl after Milton decided to bypass his final contest in order to focus on his NFL prospects. Iamaleava made the most of his debut opportunity, completing 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown and rushing for three scores to earn MVP honors as the Volunteers torched Iowa 35-0.
Adjusting in the weeks and months since to be "the guy," according to Iamaleava, has not been difficult.
"It's not too different," he said. "Even last year I said that I approached every day like I was the starter. Joe did a great job of helping me visualize what that looks like, and I've carried that over to this year."
Iamaleava wound up playing in five contests last season, completing 28 of 45 passes (62.2%) for 314 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 20 times for 71 yards and the three scores against the Hawkeyes.
Tennessee fourth-year quarterbacks coach and second-year offensive coordinator Joey Halzle said last week that Iamaleava, despite his natural talents, has a lengthy improvement list this spring.
"Physically, we've been working a bunch on refining his body and getting himself in great body positions," Halzle said. "He's so athletic that sometimes he's able to get away with being in bad body position, so we've been really critiquing as far as, 'Yeah, you can make that throw, but are you in the best possible position you could get in in this moment?' Then, his adding weight and strength has been great. He's committed to that, and he's doing a great job there.
"Then, on the mental side of it, he is making the shift from knowing the plays and knowing the protections to understanding why we are calling these plays in certain situations. What are we trying to accomplish when we use this motion or this formation? It's fun to watch him dig into that and really become a quarterback as opposed to just a talented young player."
Iamaleava is already on Tennessee's leadership council, though growing into a team leader hasn't always been a simple objective.
"Not that he was in a shadow last year, but with Joe, he always wanted to be really respectful and not try to step out and overtake him in any step," Halzle said. "He's been more willing this spring to step out and be like, 'I've got this.' It's never super boisterous, loud or overly aggressive. When he talks, guys listen. Guys want to hear what he has to say because they respect the work that he's put in."
Said Iamaleava: "I'm still being myself, but I've been trying to work on being more vocal for the guys and speaking out when I need to."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.