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One of the biggest stories of the college football offseason was what happened between Nico Iamaleava and Tennessee. He got into an NIL dispute and left the volunteers during the spring portal. He returned closer to home in California and is the starting quarterback for the UCLA football program. So far, early reports say that he has looked great for the Bruins.
Senior national college football and NFL reporter Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports released a notebook of different intel he was hearing around the country with every fall camp. Despite all of the issues surrounding Nico Iamaleava and how he ended up with UCLA, his reviews at camp have been glowing, with coaches raving about his work ethic, leadership, maturity, and intelligence.
“He's been special,” one source told Zenitz.
The UCLA football program has the pieces to help Nico Iamaleava mature and develop into an NFL-caliber quarterback. General manager Khary Darlington and assistant GM Steven Price, who have NFL experience, highlight this. The new offensive coordinator, Tino Sunseri, has experience working with Tua Tagovailoa, Bryce Young, and Mac Jones since he was at Alabama.
The infrastructure is there for Iamaleava to succeed immediately. Still, the question remains whether the talent level has risen around him, from the receiving corps to the offensive line and the running backs. That also does not count whether or not the defense has enough to stop other teams consistently.
Zenitz went one step further, however, when talking about the Bruins. He said, “The Bruins feel like they have a realistic chance of being competitive in every game and surprising people with their final win total, especially with a schedule that includes only three games against teams ranked in the preseason AP poll.”
Iamaleava is a former five-star recruit who, at 6-feet-6 and 215 pounds, has the physical tools to impress any offensive scout. He also has a cannon for an arm that makes for a pretty deep ball. However, given his expectations, he was disappointed in a quarterback-friendly offense at Tennessee. He finished the 2024 season with 2,616 passing yards and 19 touchdowns with only five interceptions. He also had a 63.8% completion percentage with the Volunteers.
There are few expectations for the UCLA football program this year because it has many new pieces coming in and struggled last season. Iamaleava has a big task in front of him, but it's not all bad news, especially if UCLA can keep Kaedin Robinson after he filed a lawsuit to stay eligible and play for the Bruins.
