UCLA coaches have told the team’s quarterbacks that they plan to add former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava to the team, 247Sports confirms. Iamaleava’s impending transfer ends a significant couple of weeks for 247Sports’ top-ranked player in the portal. Tennessee moved on from the Southern California native ahead of its April 13 spring game and the opening of the spring portal window, ending a high-stakes standoff over NIL contract negotiations.
Iamaleava sought a new deal from Tennessee worth $4 million annually, nearly double his original reported deal, per ESPN’s Chris Low. Iamaleava’s lucrative first deal represented a high-water mark in the early NIL era in college athletics, and his standoff over more money was a somewhat fitting, if not ironic, way for the two sides to part ways.
UCLA’s basketball program added former New Mexico star Donovan Dent last month, and Iamaleava’s addition marks the latest high-profile transfer portal prospect the school has landed in as many weeks. The price tag to land Dent — one of college basketball’s most coveted transfers — was around $3 million, sources told CBS Sports’ Isaac Trotter.
Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns during the 2024 campaign. He helped Tennessee reach the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff in his first season as a full-time starter last fall after spending the 2023 season as a backup to Joe Milton lll.
UCLA brought in App State quarterback Joey Aguilar this past offseason and he was projected as the starter heading into the fall before Iamaleava transferred in. The Bruins ranked 15th in yards per game (328.8) and No. 16 in points per game (18.4) among all Big Ten teams.
Iamaleava’s younger brother, Madden Iamaleava, was previously committed to UCLA before flipping his commitment to Arkansas during the early signing period last December.
How we got here
Iamaleava’s saga is one of the wildest storylines in the modern era of college football. Iamaleava and Tennessee reportedly went through “contract negotiations” ahead of the spring transfer portal window opening, but things deteriorated quickly after Iamaleava’s absence ahead of Tennessee’s final practice before its spring game. The next day word broke that Tennessee was moving on from its star quarterback.
UCLA was viewed as one of the most logical landing spots due to its proximity to Iamaleava’s home in Los Angeles and the fact that the Bruins needed a starting signal-caller. This would be one of the biggest splashes of the college football offseason.
Why this is worth the investment from UCLA
The addition of Iamaleava is the exact kind of swing UCLA needed to take this offseason. Despite the Tennessee baggage, players like Iamaleava don’t grow on trees. He was one of the top recruits coming out of Southern California in 2023, and the upside is still there for him to be an elite quarterback at this level.
Iamaleava will be working closely with new UCLA offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri. The 36-year-old rising star in the coaching world spent last season as Indiana’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach and played a key role in the development of Kurtis Rourke. Indiana finished No. 1 in scoring offense (41.3 points per game) and fourth in yards (426.4) among all Big Ten teams last season.
The Bruins ranked 15th in yards per game (328.8) and No. 16 in points per game (18.4) among all Big Ten teams. In short? Iamaleava is worth the investment after UCLA went 5-7 during the 2024 season.
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