The Nico Iamaleava and Tennessee fiasco is no longer a secret. In fact, there were so many rumors and theories circulating that the true story was hard to pin down. However, at Big Ten media days, Iamaleava decided to clear the air by revealing it was a family decision.
“My driving factor to come back home was my family, and I hope every Tennessee fan understands that," Iamaleava said at Big Ten media days. "It was just a lot of drama, but man, I'm excited to be at UCLA."
While at media days, Iamaleava also made his intentions clear regarding his future with the Bruins. Beyond this year, UCLA is expected to move on with another quarterback.
“This is a year where, you know, I'm really trying to get out after. So, you know, I'm going to give my all to UCLA, and, you know, if I have the year I want, you know, I want to get out,” Iamaleava said.
Since Iamaleava’s arrival, UCLA’s recruiting has improved noticeably, and that’s no coincidence.
“The UCLA Bruins have been one of the better teams in the recruiting cycle of 2026, and it is no secret that hot attractions that have the hype and a name for themselves, like Nico Iamaleava, can do that. This is something that we saw at Tennessee. Iamaleava was the catapult to help Tennessee get back into the rhythm of having top-10 recruiting classes,” SI’s Caleb Sisk wrote.
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In an interview with CBS Sports analysts, Chris Hummer shared what he’s hearing about Iamaleava.
“I have talked to multiple people at UCLA and outside of UCLA that say Nico is worth 2 or 3 wins at least,” Hummer said.
If Iamaleava adds three wins to UCLA’s record from last year, that would put them at eight wins—a mark the Bruins football program has not reached in ten years. Iamaleava will be looking to break that drought, and UCLA has several winnable games if the transfer can lead them there.