In recent years, one of the biggest stories in college football was what happened between Nico Iamaleava and the Tennessee football program. He left the program and transferred in the spring due to an NIL dispute. Now, he is back closer to home at UCLA. However, things have not started well for him playing for the UCLA football team after he struggled in Week 1.
Other teams are also not impressed with what Nico Iamaleava has been able to do under center with UNLV defensive back Amari Brown. He said nothing sticks out to him on tape about Iamaleava. He said that to the media at a press conference on Monday.
“Honestly, nothing really sticks out to me about him [on tape],” Brown told the media on Monday. “You know, in the past, there’s been talk about ‘five-star this, five-star that.’ I have been around plenty of five-star and four-star [players], it doesn’t scare me.
“I have played in competitions higher than them, including Alabama. … Going against a guy like Nico, there’s no surprise, excitement, or anything like that.”
His debut with UCLA football got off to a rough start in Week 1. It was a rough showing for the quarterback in his team’s 43-10 loss to Utah, as Iamaleava completed just 11 of his 22 attempts for 136 yards with one touchdown and an interception.
The new UNLV head coach, Dan Mullen, praised Iamaleava's abilities in comparison.
“Watching the film, you see his talent,” Mullen said when talking to CBS Sports. “The performance in the end, statistically, probably wasn’t the game he wanted to play, but you can see his talent on film.
“… I think [Nico] will come out fired and ready to put on a show and rebound from his performance. He is an extremely talented player.”
Despite Mullen's praise, UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster needed to respond to Amari Brown's words.
“That’s how their program operates. That's not how we operate. We’ll get out there and play ball, go from there.”
UNLV has not yet looked perfect in its own right and has some struggles. However, the UCLA football program is the story in this game because they need to bounce back after losing the way they lost to Utah. This is a big opportunity for the Bruins to prove they are better than what happened in that game.
