Josh Heupel has one of the most talented QB rooms in the SEC.

Vols fans got to see 3 Tennessee quarterbacks Saturday afternoon: Joe Milton, Nico Iamaleava and Gaston Moore for the final drive of the game. Iamaleava played most of the 4th quarter when the game was already out of reach for Virginia.

“Nico,” as some Tennessee fans prefer to call him, had a good first outing against a bad Virginia defense, though he wasn’t able to let it fly as much as some Vols fans would like. Iamaleava completed 2 of his 3 passing attempts for 11 yards Saturday, leading 1 touchdown drive upon assuming the offense.

Heupel was still able to evaluate Iamaleava’s game, though. Here’s what he had to say when asked how the former 5-star QB fared in the Vols’ 49-13 win:

“Same things that we’ve seen (in practice), really calm, cool, good demeanor,” Heupel said. “He was able to communicate, handle all the pre-snap stuff the right way, get his eyes in the right place. I thought, you know, he showed some athleticism. I loved his feel of the pocket, you know, step up, get out of it and go make a play with his feet. He’s 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. Made an athletic throw. Didn’t complete it, but throwing across his body on a little slant route that ended up being not completed. But all in all, really solid performance from him.”

Tennessee continues its 2023 season next Saturday against Austin Peay. The game is set to kick at 5 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN+.