Nico Iamaleava has admitted that he is often thought of as cocky because he’s such an aggressive recruiter for Tennessee, especially on social media. The Tennessee quarterback commitment has tried to change that perception.

For one Vol, consider that mission accomplished.

Tennessee tight end Jacob Warren didn’t see any cockiness from Iamaleava, the five-star quarterback who committed to Tennessee in March, during a recent exchange between the two athletes. In fact, Warren was quite taken aback by how approachable Iamaleava was during his official visit in June.

“I’ve seen ego,” Warren said during a recent edition of The Vol Report on Off The Hook Sports. “I’ve seen cocky. I’ve seen (people) full of themselves. I’ve seen that in a lot of different people.”

Warren admitted that he thought Iamaleava, who is the No. 4 prospect in the nation, might have that kind of attitude. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

“Very easy to talk to,” Warren said. “Very humble. I think you go in and you expect him to be cocky and you expect him to be overconfident and then he greets you with a handshake, hugs you and says I’m happy to see you.”

That says a lot about Iamaleava, who doesn’t need to impress Warren pretentiously. Warren is a senior. Because of Covid-19, the former Farragut (Tenn.) High School standout could return for one more season, but that isn’t the plan. Warren will likely be long gone by the time Iamaleava suits up for the Vols in 2023. If the NFL doesn’t pan out, Warren plans on being a kinesiologist. 

Either way, Warren won’t likely be running through the ’T’ next season when Iamaleava is supposed to become the Vols’ starter. Even if Warren stays for the 2023 season, he’ll be on his way out. Still, Iamaleava treated Warren with respect. That meant something. Maybe Iamaleava was trying to recruit Warren to stay another season after this fall? No matter, a positive impression was still made.

“Just being willing to be real and be willing to be himself,” Warren said when asked what stood out about the meeting with Iamaleava.

Now, let’s be clear. Iamaleava didn’t enter a meeting with Warren or anyone without confidence. It’s a confident mindset that has gotten Iamaleava to where he is and wherever he will end up.

“You know that he’s the big dog,” Warren said. “To me, if it doesn’t affect the way he treats people and the way that he talks and handles his business, I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

That means, by multiple accounts, that Iamaleava is in the clear. There have only been positive reviews about him throughout his recruitment.

“They’ve got to be confident,” Warren said of highly rated quarterbacks. “They have to have that No 1 mentality…(but) just coming in thinking he’s the next great thing, that’s not the vibe I got at all.”

Warren is far too entrenched in his life to keep daily tabs on recruiting. Nevertheless, he has seen what Iamaleava has done for Tennessee’s 2023 recruiting class, which ranks second in the SEC and No. 7 in the nation. The Vols picked up nine commitments in June and July. Warren said he believes that Iamaleava was the key figure to get the momentum going.

“There’s one big guy and I think for us, it was Nico,” Warren said. “He committed a while back and made that public. It’s been one of the bigger things in recruiting that they talk about with out team.”

Warren credited Iamaleava with getting the “buzz going” about Tennessee after he committed. Iamaleava has been repeatedly connecting with Tennessee prospects via social media in order to have them consider the Vols.

“It’s really easy for them to reach out and (say) ‘Dude, Come to Tennessee with me this weekend. Let’s go hangout. It’s cool. I want you to see it. I think you’ll love it,’” Warren said.

Warren has seen cocky before, although he wouldn’t divulge names. It’s hard to avoid in a sport and culture as competitive as college football.

“Naturally, it’s going to happen when you have a bunch of young, adult men that are in there and everybody is telling them how good they are and everybody in their hometown is rooting for them and thinks they’re the greatest thing since sliced bread,” Warren said. “It all comes together and then they start treating people different and acting different. It’s pretty obvious. I appreciate those that go against that.”

Iamaleava certainly doesn’t present himself as being the best thing since “sliced bread”, even if he is. We’ll see how Iamaleava adapts to playing football in college, but when it comes to carrying himself without some of the foils that could come with his recruiting ranking, he’s no loaf.

“If I’m looking for a school and Nico is a buddy of mine and he’s obviously all bought into it,” Warren said, “I don’t see why I wouldn’t be interested.”