In his first two seasons as a Tennessee receiver, Bru McCoy caught a lot of passes from Hendon Hooker, some passes from Joe Milton III and no passes from Nico Iamaleava.
That’s about to change.
The 24-year-old McCoy and the 19-year-old Iamaleava have known about each other for years, with Iamaleava a former five-star quarterback from Long Beach, California, and McCoy a former five-star receiver from the Long Beach suburb of Rolling Hills Estates. McCoy originally signed with Southern California before transferring to the Volunteers and quickly becoming a prominent piece of the 2022 team that capped an 11-win season with a downing of Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
“When I was younger, I thought Bru was the greatest high school player of all time,” a smiling Iamaleava said Thursday in a news conference. “He was the first guy I had ever seen play receiver and defensive end in the same game. I saw him come off the edge and get five sacks, and he also scored three touchdowns.
“That was crazy for me to watch.”