Drama and questions surrounded quarterback Nico Iamaleava this offseason as he transferred from Josh Heupel’s Tennessee Volunteers in the SEC to DeShaun Foster’s UCLA Bruins in the Big Ten.
But for the junior, the transfer was about more than getting out of Knoxville. A big part of UCLA’s draw for Iamaleava, originally a five-star prospect out of Warren High School in Downey, Calif., was its proximity to home.
“First off, I loved everything coach [DeShaun] Foster is building with the program. The direction that they're heading into, I wanted to be a part of that,” Iamaleava said Monday, on the third episode of UCLA's 'Chasing Saturdays' series. “And my family was another big reason on why I wanted to come back. It all kind of just played out. I'm blessed to be in this position.”
The Bruins have completed two weeks of fall camp, and Iamaleava is getting more comfortable with his new team every day.
“These [are] the dog days of camp, man," Iamaleava said. “Where you get to truly connect with your brothers on the team and strengthen your bond with one another. And I think that during this time, we've done that and we're only growing our relationship stronger.”
Iamaleava is the Bruins’ expected starting quarterback. In an ironic pseudo-swap, former UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar is slated to start in Iamaleava’s old role at Tennessee. Aguilar committed to the Vols April 21, one day after Iamaleava signed with UCLA.
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The junior transfer must lead the Bruins through a difficult schedule this year. Iamaleava has his work cut out for him, but Foster has made a notable effort to add protection for the quarterback wherever he can.
UCLA is set to face top Big Ten powers Penn State (home) and Ohio State (away), ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the AP Preseason Poll, respectively. The Bruins will also play No. 20 Indiana in Week 8, and have games against non-conference opponents Utah, UNLV and New Mexico in the first three weeks of the season.