The post Why UCLA football's Nico Iamaleava feels rejuvenated after Tennessee drama appeared first on ClutchPoints .
Nico Iamaleava became one of the biggest stories of the 2025 college football offseason when he decided to leave Tennessee for UCLA . While not the way he had his summer mapped out, the quarterback is more than ready to have a big season with the Bruins.
After the bitter way he left Knoxville, Iamaleava feels that UCLA is his "ideal" home, according to 'The Athletic.' The redshirt sophomore said he loves the idea of being close to his family again and aligns with everything head coach DeShaun Foster envisions for the program, per 'The Athletic.'
As a native of Long Beach, California, Iamaleava considered multiple West Coast schools during his recruitment period, but accepted Josh Heupel's offer at Tennessee. He concluded his prep career at Warren High School, located less than one hour away from UCLA's campus in Los Angeles.
Although UCLA is not an established football powerhouse — they have just three 10-win seasons in the last 20 years — Iamaleava is confident he can bring the Bruins back to the promise land. Iamaleava took Tennessee to its first College Football Playoff berth in 2024 in his first year as a starter.
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Though UCLA went just 5-7 in 2024, its expectations were not high in DeShaun Foster's first year in charge. The Bruins simultaneously had to integrate into the Big 10, a change that gave them one of the worst travel schedules in the country.
Foster already expected improvement in 2025, but the team's confidence level only rose with Iamaleava's commitment. The 20-year-old has a chance to be the school's best quarterback since Dorian Thompson-Robinson left in 2022. Thompson-Robinson departed as the school's all-time passing leader with 10,710 career passing yards.
However, Iamaleava will be one of nine new offensive starters for UCLA in 2025. The Bruins had just one offensive player selected in the 2025 NFL Draft — tight end Moliki Matavao — but guard Garrett DiGiorgio and tackle Rueben Unije are the only returning starters.
The inconsistency is worrisome, but with UCLA mustering just 18.4 points per game in 2024, the revamped offense makes for a clean slate. Foster also fired offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and replaced him with former Pittsburgh quarterback Tino Sunseri to further spark improvements.
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