With UCLA football opening its 2025 season this weekend against Utah, former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava met with the media to discuss his debut with the Bruins. When asked if he went to UCLA games as a kid, he offered a more recent experience. Iamaleava said he was in attendance for the Bruins’ loss to Oregon just last season.
The timing of that game aligned with Tennessee’s bye week. With the Vols having a gap after beating Oklahoma on the road, he went back out to California and apparently stopped by the Rose Bowl. The following weekend, Tennessee was upset on the road at Arkansas.
“The last game I did come to was the UCLA-Oregon game at the Rose Bowl last year,” Iamaleava said. “That wasn’t a good memory for me, but we’re ready to go this year.”
It’s worth noting that at the time, Iamaleava’s younger brother, Madden Iamaleava, was a verbal commitment to the UCLA program. While 247Sports does not list a visit to UCLA during that week for him, it is possible that was the reason Nico Iamaleava was in attendance. Madden Iamaleava would later decommit and flip to Arkansas on signing day, before transferring out of the Razorbacks’ program during the spring to head back to UCLA.
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UCLA saw little success in the game, dropping the contest to Oregon, 34-13. The Bruins played two quarterbacks, Ethan Garbers and Justyn Martin, who combined to go 13-for-24 in the air for 125 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. For the Ducks, Dillon Gabriel threw for 278 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on 31-of-41 attempts.
When Nico Iamaleava took the field the following weekend in Fayetteville, the Vols lost 19-14. Iamaleava threw for 158 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. This came on 17-for-29 attempts. He also ran for a net of 17 yards on 11 carries. The final play of the game saw him scramble before ultimately running out of bounds with no time on the clock.
After helping lead Tennessee to a College Football Playoffs appearance in 2024, it appeared Iamaleava was set to return the following season. However, after going through the majority of spring camp, reports surfaced about a possible negotiation of his NIL contract. When he did not show up to practice on the Friday before the annual spring Orange & White Game, Josh Heupel made the decision to move on without him.
Iamaleava claimed multiple times at Big Ten Media Days this summer that the move had nothing to do with money. Instead, he was simply looking to get closer to his family. He is from Downey, California, and was a five-star recruit out of Warren High School.
