UCLA made a monumental splash by landing quarterback Nico Iamaleava, propelling itself from bowl game hopeful to being on the brink of conference contender.
By now, we can assume everyone knows what went down with Iamaleava and Tennessee, and because of that, the question has been raised, of course, as to whether or not this addition is as glamorous as it seems for the Bruins. After all, if it fell apart with a playoff team like Tennessee, why’s it going to work for UCLA?
Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke went as far as to say: “Iamaleava lost. But so did UCLA.” He went on to say that “both fumbled badly,” and that UCLA “committed its own ethical blunder in taking Iamaleava’s damaged goods.”
“You see, the Bruins already had a starting quarterback,” Plaschke wrote. “He transferred here in December to play his final year of college football. His name was Joey Aguilar, he came from Appalachian State, and in the last two seasons he’s thrown for 6,760, 56 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. Plus, he can run, scoring five touchdowns with 456 rushing yards.
“Aguilar spent all spring establishing himself as the one of the Bruins’ offensive leaders. He traveled cross-country and upended his entire young life for this last chance.”
” … It is understandable that coach DeShaun Foster would be thrilled to add a five-star talent Iamaleava while moving some eyeballs to a program desperate to create some buzz in his second season.
“But at what price? Will future potential transfers such as Aguilar want to pay that price? Will potential donors who will have to fund questionable talents such as Iamaleava want to pay that price?”
The system is flawed, yes. While players deserve to get paid, they shouldn’t be able to hold programs at their mercy and hold out until they get what they demand.
There will be pleas for changes, and they will probably be satisfied. This whole situation has brought to light what is glaringly wrong with the structure of today’s college athletics.
But if you’re UCLA, what choice do you have in this situation? Multiple sources have reported the Bruins aren’t paying Iamaleava anywhere near the money his camp had sought from Tennessee, and according to Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd, who was the first to report Iamaleava would be going to Westwood, his decision to join the Bruins wasn’t based on money anyway.
Whatever implications this has on the future don’t seem to outweigh the benefits UCLA has gotten with Iamaleava.
The Bruins were trying to adjust to the Big Ten. They’re suited to do so now. They were trying to reach a level of relevancy under Foster, as Plaschke noted. It’s not just something they wanted to do, though; they needed to do it.
Iamaleava does that for them, not just because of the sudden national attention, but because of what he’ll be able to do for them behind center. After all, that’s what it’s all about.
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