Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel has plenty to be excited about at SEC Media Days. The former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback heads into his fourth season at the helm in Knoxville coming off a third consecutive winning campaign, with a 9-4 finish last year capped with a Citrus Bowl victory and No. 17 AP ranking.
This year, Heupel has a throng of transfers incoming to help extend that winning streak to four straight. Not to mention, a “highly recruited” and “extremely accurate” QB in Nico Iamaleava he’s itching to unleash.
As the Volunteers look to continue its upward trend in a newly expanded conference, what are three takeaways from Heupel at SEC Media Days?
3 Takeaways From Josh Heupel at SEC Media Days
1) High Praise for Nico Iamaleava Despite Absence at SEC Media Days
Usually, when a quarterback isn’t present for media days, that means something is afoot, whether it be a brewing competition or a recent injury. Neither appears to be the case for redshirt freshman Iamaleava, though, who didn’t make the trip to Dallas but received heaps of praise from Heupel.
Heupel said Iamaleava’s absence wasn’t about him but about highlighting the three “ambassadors” for Tennessee he did bring — OL Cooper Mays, LB Keenan Pili, and DL Omari Thomas. Iamaleava didn’t have to make the trip for his coach to gush over him at the podium.
“(Iamaleava ) was highly recruited because of his athletic traits,” Heupel said. “He’s got the ball to throw the football sideline-to-sideline, vertically down the field. Extremely accurate. Loose, quick-triggered arm. He’s got the ability to extend and makes plays with his feet.
“The thing that I loved about Nico, he came into the building, and he wanted to earn the respect of his teammates. You do that through your actions actions, not your words. Everybody understands how hard he works to become the best that he can at his craft. He takes great ownership in his skill set and developing it. Understanding of our offense and as a young player gets his first start in the bowl game.
“One of the best compliments you can give to a quarterback is when it goes from the practice field to the game field, it slows down for them. During the course of the bowl game, it slowed down for him. Thought he was in great command out there. There’s a lot of things that he learned from that game.
“He’s got a lot of urgency in his preparation all offseason. I’m really excited to see his growth and development as a young quarterback.”
Heupel said Iamaleava is firmly in charge of the offense and that they “want him to hit the ground running” as the season starts.
“We expect him to play at a really high level at the very beginning, and we need him to do that.”
2) Tulane Transfer Chris Brazzell II Is a ‘Luxury’ for Heupel’s Offense
Iamaleava will have a huge downfield target out wide his first full season behind center for Tennessee with Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell II joining the Volunteers.
As a redshirt freshman last year, Brazzell had 44 catches for 711 yards (16.2 yards per catch) and five touchdowns, with seven catches over 30 yards and 14 over 20 yards. He earned a 2023 CFN Freshman All-American Honorable Mention for his efforts.
“It’s always a luxury as a quarterback to have guys that have the ability to separate, create bigger windows,” Heupel said. “To have length to go up and attack the football. Have the skill set to beat press at the line of scrimmage, let you get the ball out of your hands and not sit back there and take a bunch of hits.
“Chris is somebody that is getting a lot of talk because of what he’s done on the field. He’s a great teammate, and he’s been a dynamic playmaker. His best is still coming. He’s continuing to grow and mature physically.
“His strength, explosiveness, size to his frame, and what he’s done since he got there in January. Really excited about him and looking forward to having a good training camp with him.”
3) Heupel ‘Excited’ About ‘Deepest’ Secondary He’s Had
On the other side of the ball, Heupel had a good amount of roster turnover in the secondary, but he believes that change may have made them stronger at the position.
Oregon State cornerback Jermod McCoy, Temple CB Jalen McMurray, and Middle Tennessee safety Jakobe Thomas transferred to Knoxville in the offseason to bolster the DB unit.
“I’m expecting those guys to play at a championship level,” Heupel said. “I love the group as far their length, athleticism, play-making ability, their willingness to be physical and take on destruct blocks, tackles in space. Their care factor, their knowledge and understanding of what we’re doing, and how they approach practice every day.
“I’m really excited about (the secondary). This is the deepest we have been within our roster. That affords you the opportunity to have great competition every single day. That’s on the practice field, that’s in the meeting room. Depth becomes important as you go throughout the course of the season. I’m looking forward to that group taking a real step this fall for us.”
College Football Network has you covered with the latest news and analysis, rankings, transfer portal information, top 10 returning players, the 2024 college football season schedule, and much more!