Tennessee QBs Coach Reveals Key Trait About Nico Iamaleava

Tennessee Volunteers quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle has given insight into Nico Iamaleava's unique leadership trait. During a Wednesday news conference, with the team in spring practice, Halzle talked about how the starting quarterback is developing ahead of his sophomore year.

When asked how Iamaleava confronts teammates for errors after earlier saying that he doesn't have a boisterous personality, Halzle said that Iamaleava corrected his teammates without yelling at them during practice that day.

"If he tried to start going rah-rah right now, it won't hit, because that's just not him, and he doesn't do that, but what he did. ... Like he did today, he didn't like something that he saw," Halzle said (Timestamp: 2:49).

"He called the guys up and said, 'Hey.' He addressed it right now. We moved on. Like, he's not going to ever start screaming and, like, throwing stuff.

"That's not him, but what he will do is step up and see something he doesn't think is right, and he stepped in front of the group and addressed it in a way that fit him. It was assertive, but it wasn't anything that wasn't him."

Earlier in the news conference, Halzle said he is working with Iamaleava to become a more vocal leader and represent the team's culture.

"Everybody knows what he is as a player," Halzle said (Timestamp: 0:20). "As an athlete on the field, you know, he's an elite player, but the challenge this year has been, 'OK, you have that. We know about that. Let's take a step off the field. You're the one who's going to have to be the united voice with no Cooper Mays, with no Dylan Sampson, with no Bru McCoy in the building anymore.'"

Nico Iamaleava's freshman season with the Tennessee Volunteers

Nico Iamaleava led Tennessee to a 10-3 record and third place in the Southeastern Conference as a freshman last season. The quarterback finished with 213 completions for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns.

One of his best performances came when the Volunteers defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 36-23 on Nov. 30. Iamaleava went 18 of 26 for 257 yards and four touchdowns.

On Dec. 21, Tennessee ended its season with a 42-17 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round of the College Football Playoff. He had a lackluster performance, completing 14 of 31 passes for 104 yards.

He'll try to get the Volunteers back to the playoff picture next season and reach the national championship game as a sophomore.