Tennessee Vols fans are understandably excited about what the near future holds for the Tennessee football program after the start of the year. Freshman QB Nico Iamaleava accounted for four touchdowns in the Vols' dominating 35-0 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Citrus Bowl.
With one starting performance under his belt, UT fans are wondering just how high the ceiling is with their new QB - as well as how different he will look from what the Vols saw from Joe Milton III under center in 2023.
Someone who is familiar with both players - WR Bru McCoy - addressed that exact question on Wednesday afternoon during Tennessee's Pro Day. The veteran receiver was speaking with SEC Network's Chris Doering and talked about the similarities and differences between the two.
"I can say - I haven't played with Nico yet. From watching Nico, he's really good on his feet. He's really good at extending plays. He obviously doesn't have the same arm strength as Joe, but where I think Nico makes up for that is his ability to run. Not that Joe didn't run. I would say there's a lot more similarities than differences, but ultimately both of them are studs, and I'm blessed as a receiver to get the chance to play with both of them."
Not an unfair assessment by the Vols' senior wideout. At least as far as the physical tools. There's no doubt Milton has a much stronger arm. But then again, there's no one in college football that he doesn't have a much stronger arm than.
Iamaleava also seems more willing to run, as evidenced by his three rushing scores against Iowa. Milton's unwillingness to run with his freakish speed and imposing physical stature was one of the most maddening aspects of Tennessee's offense in 2023.
Of course, the other would be accuracy and pocket presence, both things that Milton struggled with for the Vols during different parts of the season. Despite some good stretches (i.e., first half of Alabama, Kentucky, etc.) there were simply too many moments of uncertainty and too many misfires on open receivers by Milton throughout the year. But, of course, that's not something you expect a good teammate like McCoy to say on TV.
Tennessee fans hope that Milton can find an opportunity in the NFL, either at quarterback or elsewhere. He's a Vol for Life. However, it's also not unfair to hope that Iamaleava isn't cut from quite the same cloth when it comes to his performance inside the pocket next season.
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