Spring practice started this week for the Tennessee Vols which means the Nico Iamaleava era on Rocky Top is officially underway.
Iamaleava, a redshirt freshman, will be the Vols' starting quarterback in 2024 after operating as Joe Milton's backup in 2023.
With Milton no longer on the roster, it means that Iamaleava, despite his youth, will need to step up as one of Tennessee's primary team leaders.
Fortunately for the Vols, it sounds like that's exactly what Iamaleava is doing.
Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle met with the media on Thursday and he explained how Nico is growing as a leader now he's the Volunteers' starting quarterback.
"He's one of those guys that has that natural aura about him where people gravitate to him," said Halzle when asked about Nico's leadership. "They listen to what he says. It's a little bit outside his comfort zone to try to step out and get on somebody -- which isn't really his makeup. Which is fine. There's not one way to do it. But when he talks, guys listen. That's the best compliment you could say about somebody. When you talk, the guys stop talking. They listen to what he has to say."
"Not that he (Nico) was in his shadow last year, but with Joe (Milton), he always wanted to be really respectful and not like try to step out and overtake him in any [way] like that," added Halzle. "But he's been actually more willing to just step out and be like, 'alright I got this'. Sometimes we'll go to say something to a wide out or a tight end or a running back and he'll just kind of grab them first and take them. So for him, it's never super boisterous. It's never really loud. It's never overly aggressive. It's just him getting the information across. And like I was saying earlier, when he just talks, guys listen. He doesn't have to grab facemasks and scream. Guys want to hear what he has to say because they respect the work that he's put in."
Leadership will be key the Vols this season as the Nico era gets going. And so far, Nico is leading in a genuine way that comes naturally to him. That's important. If he's going to be an elite leader, he has to do it his way, not the way that folks on the outside think he should do it.
So far, so good. But remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint. As long as Nico is consistent in his approach, and we have no reason to think that won't be the case, he should be just fine when it comes to operating as an elite leader.
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