Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle was in a no-win situation. He had to answer pressing questions about his most important Vol.
“He’s never scared of the spotlight,” Halzle said of quarterback Nico Iamaleava. “…It’s your time to put yourself out there and be a little bit vulnerable in front of the team and everything that comes with that because if you are going to step out there, then you have to be doing everything right off the field as well.”
Halzle, who also serves as Tennessee’s quarterbacks coach, was asked about Iamaleava’s leadership following a report by ON3 that Iamaleava was being asked to be more vocal this year, which will be his second season as Tennessee’s starter.
One could argue that Halzle could have given the media a big, fat “no comment” in regards to what he’s asking of his quarterback, but that would have just looked like Iamaleava lacked the leadership skills that are an absolute necessity at the position. And, of course, Iamaleava was asked about his leadership skills as well.
“When it comes to letting the whole offense and defense, the whole team, hear your voice, I think that’s been the biggest thing for me,” Iamaleava said. “Just stepping out of my shell. I wasn’t very comfortable speaking in front of large crowds and stuff like that, but I have taken that next step. That’s something I’m continuing to work on.”
One could argue that Tennessee’s sports information department shouldn’t have put Halzle and Iamaleava in the spotlight following questions about his vocal leadership – or lack thereof. However, the Vols opened up a bit amidst an era in which good quotes are tough to come by. Halzle steadfastly said Iamaleava’s leadership continues to grow.
“One hundred percent,” Halzle said. “That has been a big part of what we have talked about. Everyone knows who he is as a player and athlete on the field. He is an elite player. The challenge this year is, ‘You have that. We know about that. Let’s take a step off the field. You’re the one that is going to have be the uniting voice.’”
Whether or not Iamaleava is ready to shoulder a bigger leadership role remains to be seen. However, this much is known. Tennessee isn’t hiding their star quarterback from the media when scrutiny comes calling.
In all fairness to Iamaleava, he didn’t have to do much leading last season. The Vols had a strong set of leaders on offense, led by running back Dylan Sampson, center Cooper Mays and receiver Bru McCoy. Still, the whole notion of speaking out seems a bit uncomfortable for the highly-touted prospect from California.
“It’s just not his natural personality to be boisterous and jump out in front of a room, especially when you have guys that he respected in that position (last year),” Halzle said.
When asked when he gets uncomfortable making his voice heard, Iamaleava said, “For me, getting up in front of the whole team really. I got comfortable with speaking to my individual position groups and the offense.”
Sounds like a work in progress.
