Joey Halzle – Syndication Server

Joey Halzle details Nico Iamaleava’s 20 rushing attempts against Ohio State

Tennessee offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle discusses Nico Iamaleava’s 20 rushing attempts at Ohio State.

Redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava completed his first season as Tennessee’s starting quarterback.

The 6-foot-6, 215-pound signal caller completed 14-of-31 passing attempts for 104 yards in Tennessee’s, 42-17, loss at Ohio State on Saturday in the College Football Playoff first round. He also totaled 20 rushing attempts for 47 yards and two touchdowns.

Tennessee offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle discussed Iamaleava’s performance against the Buckeyes.

“A lot of the runs that Nico ended up doing was just him extending plays on his own,” Halzle said. “We did have some design quarterback run on the play he scored on and a couple third and shorts.

“We weren’t creating big plays in the pass game, weren’t creating big windows. We had difficulty up front. It was just an entire unit where from start to finish it couldn’t get anything to pop going right there. That’s why you ended up seeing him running with the ball in his hand a lot.”

Iamaleava had two other games this season with 10-plus rushing attempts. He totaled 11 rushing attempts at Arkansas and 12 at Georgia.

PHOTOS: Ohio State defeats Tennessee at Ohio Stadium

Joey Halzle. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Mike Matthews’ role detailed for Vols ahead of College Football Playoff

Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle discusses Mike Matthews’ role ahead of the College Football Playoff.

Tennessee wide receiver Mike Matthews appeared in 10 games during his freshman regular season in 2024.

The 6-foot-1, 197-pound freshman totaled seven receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns. He also recorded 32 yards on one kick return.

Tennessee will next play in the first round of the College Football Playoff at Ohio State on Saturday (8 p.m. EST, ABC).

Ahead of Saturday’s matchup, Tennessee offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle met with media. He discussed if Matthews can contribute during the College Football Playoff.

“We fully intend on Mike being a big part of everything we’re doing,” Halzle said. “It’s the same thing now. If this goes the way you want it to go, you’ve got four games left. You’ve got a quarter of a season left to play right here. All those guys that are here and going, we expect them to play at high level. We feel comfortable throwing anybody out there. Our guys are prepared and ready to play, and they’re dang good players. Anybody that’s called upon, we expect that they go out and they play at a high level. We expect to see that here every week.”

PHOTOS: Tennessee-Ohio State football series through the years

Joey Halzle’s ties to Oklahoma, Tennessee

Joey Halzle set for Oklahoma return on Saturday.

No. 7 Tennessee (3-0) will play No. 13 Oklahoma (3-0) to open SEC play. in Week 4 of the 2024 college football season.

Kickoff between the Vols and Sooners is slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT at Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. ABC will televise the contest.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and Vols’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle will return to Oklahoma on Saturday.

Both were quarterbacks and assistant coaches for the Sooners under head coach Bob Stoops. Heupel led Oklahoma to the 2000 BCS national championship.

Halzle played quarterback for the Sooners from 2006-08. He appeared in 21 games and completed 53-of-83 passing attempts. Halzle totaled 640 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.

Following his playing career, Halzle was a graduate assistant and quality control coach at Oklahoma from 2009-14.

He has also served as an assistant coach at Utah State (2015), Missouri (2016) and UCF (2019-20) before arriving at Tennessee. Halzle served as the Vols’ quarterbacks coach from 2021-22 and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach since 2023.

Squirrel White ‘is an explosive play waiting to happen’

Tennessee wide receiver Squirrel White is an explosive play waiting to happen.

Tennessee sophomore wide receiver Squirrel White appeared in every game for the Vols during the 2023 regular-season.

The 5-foot-10, 165-pound wide receiver recorded 64 receptions for 764 yards and two touchdowns in 12 contests. He also totaled 13 rushing yards on two attempts.

Ahead of Tennessee’s matchup versus Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle met with media. He discussed what White has meant to the Vols’ offense this year and what is ahead for him.

“Squirrel, he is just an explosive play waiting to happen,” Halzle said. “That has been one of the biggest things for him, is he has legit 10.4 track speed out there. You put guys like that on a bunch of grass and you let them go run really fast, cool stuff happens.

“He is been the guy we can rely on to be, all right, we need to go take the top off of this right now, we need to go stretch the defense. Squirrel is a guy that can go out there and do it on any given down, any given snap. He has been a big, crucial part of this offense.”

Aspects of Nico Iamaleava’s game that have taken biggest jump detailed

Aspects of Nico Iamaleava’s game that have taken the biggest jump are detailed.

Tennessee freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava will make his first career start against Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Kickoff between the Vols and Hawkeyes is slated for 1 p.m. EST at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

Iamaleava will become the fourth true freshman quarterback to start a bowl game for Tennessee in program history, joining Tyler Bray (2010 Music City Bowl versus North Carolina), Casey Clausen (2001 Cotton Bowl versus Kansas State) and Peyton Manning (1994 Gator Bowl versus Virginia Tech).

Tennessee offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle met with media on Friday. He discussed aspects of Iamaleava’s game that have taken the biggest jump from his vantage point.

“In his defensive recognition, he really dug into that,” Halzle said. “A lot of freshmen quarterbacks are like, cool, teach me the plays and I will figure it out. He really wanted to dive into, all right, how do I judge a defense, what am I getting as far as tips and how do I know when I’m getting pressure, when am I hot, when am I not. He has really dug into that. Like I said at the beginning, not like most true freshmen handle themselves. He was big into that side of it.

“Mechanically, when someone comes in as highly touted as he was, a lot of times, they feel like they are finished products. He was not. He wanted to come in and be like, all right, what do I need to do to take my physical game to the next level, as well. He came in and was completely open with tinkering with the mechanics, his lower body, all of that. That is why I think he has made the growth that he has and why I think the guys out there with him have the confidence that he will go perform at a high level when he is called upon.”

Citrus Bowl ‘not a tune-up game’ for Nico Iamaleava in first start

Citrus Bowl is not a tune-up game for Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava in first start.

Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava will make his first career start in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl versus Iowa.

Tennessee offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle met with media on Friday and discussed where on the spectrum of cautious to aggressive does he think Iamaleava should be against Iowa.

“It is not a tune-up game for a starter,” Halzle said. “This is a kid making his first start against one of the best defenses in all of college football. I do not think you can go into it thinking differently. You have to go take what is there, whatever they are presenting to it, you have to go take advantage of it. You are still going to have to push the ball down the field. You are going to have to take check downs when they present. We are going to have to run the football well. Football is still football at the end of the game. We have to block well. We have to tackle well. We have to catch, throw. We have to do all that type of stuff.

“To do all of that, then, you are inserting a freshman quarterback in on top of this, where he has to manage the game. He has got to understand situational football, when to take the risk, when to not, all of that, when to scramble, when is a throwaway a good thing, when is an incompletion a positive. All of those type of thoughts for a young quarterback is what I think you see young guys when they are making their first start get in trouble in sometimes. Now, he does not handle himself like a young guy, so really confident in that. I think he is prepared well. I think he is ready to go, so looking forward to seeing what he has on the first.”

Joey Halzle discusses Iowa’s defense ahead of Citrus Bowl

Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle discusses Iowa’s defense ahead of the Citrus Bowl.

Tennessee offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle met with media on Friday and discussed preparing for the Vols’ matchup against Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

“Iowa, obviously, you can see on tape, extremely well-coached,” Halzle said. “They play extremely physical. They tackle well in space. They scheme well. They are just a very sound, solid, strong defense from top to bottom. You see a lot of physical play up front, especially from their defensive line, their linebackers, they like to play physically, get their hands on people. They shed blocks. There is a reason their defensive numbers are the way they are. It is all the way to the back end.”

Kickoff between the Vols and Hawkeyes is slated for 1 p.m. EST on New Year’s Day at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

Joey Halzle previews Tennessee-UConn game

Vols’ offensive coordinator Joey Halzle previews the Tennessee-UConn game.

No. 16 Tennessee (6-2, 3-2 SEC) returns to Neyland Stadium in Week 10.

The Vols will host UConn (1-7) for its homecoming matchup on Saturday.

Kickoff between the Vols and Huskies is slated for noon EDT. SEC Network will televise the homecoming matchup. Dave Neal (play-by-play), Derek Mason (analyst) and Alex Chappell (sideline) will be on the call.

Saturday’s contest will be the first between the Vols and Huskies in football.

Tennessee football releases depth chart ahead of UConn game

Ahead of Saturday’s matchup, Tennessee offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle met with media. Everything Halzle said previewing the Tennessee-UConn game is listed below.

Cooper Mays’ impact in South Carolina game detailed by Joey Halzle

Cooper Mays’ impact in South Carolina game detailed by Joey Halzle.

Senior offensive lineman Cooper Mays made his season debut for the Vols against South Carolina in Week 5.

Tennessee had an open date in Week 6.

Tennessee offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle met with media on Tuesday and discussed Mays’ impact during his return against South Carolina.

“It was huge,” Halzle said. “They were another team that liked to bring a ton of pressure. They changed the front up on us, gave us some unscouted looks, and Cooper did a great job getting us in the right call, getting us all on the same page and allowing us to keep playing fast while we were changing calls and doing all that.

“Just having him in there, I think fresh, physically what he did inside was really impressive, so it was really good to have him back.”

Watch: Joey Halzle previews Tennessee-Texas A&M

Watch: Vols’ offensive coordinator Joey Halzle previews Tennessee-Texas A&M

No. 17 Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC) will host Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1 SEC) on Saturday in Week 7.

Kickoff between the Vols and Aggies is slated for 3:30 p.m. EDT at Neyland Stadium.

CBS will televise the Southeastern Conference cross-divisional matchup. Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (analyst) and Jenny Dell (sideline) will be on the call.

Tennessee football releases Week 7 depth chart ahead of Texas A&M game

Entering Week 7, Tennessee’s offense is averaging 36.2 points, 235 passing yards, 231.2 rushing yards per game in 2023.

Tennessee offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle met with media on Tuesday and previewed the Tennessee-Texas A&M game.

Halzle’s media availability can be watched below.