Josh Heupel sets expectations for Nico Iamaleava’s first start at Tennessee
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Josh Heupel will have a new starter at QB for the upcoming Citrus Bowl against No. 17 Iowa.
Freshman Nico Iamaleava will make his highly anticipated first start as a Vol against the Hawkeyes, necessitated by Joe Milton’s announcement Wednesday that he will opt out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft.
Iamaleava has seen limited action for Tennessee in blowouts this season. Across those minutes Iamaleava has totaled 163 passing yards with 1 touchdown.
On Wednesday, Heupel spoke on Iamaleava’s upcoming first start, insisting it’s unlikely to be perfect, and that his expectation is for Iamaleava to “help us go win this football game.”
Here’s more from Heupel on the former 5-star:
“This is going to be his first start. At the end of the day, we’ve got to play well enough, he’s got to play well enough to help us go win this football game,” Heupel said, via 247Sports. “That’s ultimately what we’re trying to accomplish. I said it to the guys earlier, it’s important any time you have a young player – and I don’t care what position he’s playing – that the other 10 guys around him play at a really high level and do the ordinary things really consistently to allow that guy to function and operate at the level that he’s capable of. Listen, this game’s never perfect. We don’t expect Nico to go out and play perfect. Expect him to reset and give our playmakers an opportunity to go make plays.”
Tennessee and Iowa will face off in the Citrus Bowl at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 1.
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
