5-star quarterback Nicholaus Iamaleava set for SEC trip

While Ole Miss remains in hot pursuit of quarterback Arch Manning – the No. 1 player in the 2023 class – the Rebels aren’t putting all their signal-caller efforts on him. On3 National Analyst Chad Simmons confirmed Nicholaus Iamaleava of Downey (Calif.) Warren will be on an unofficial visit to Ole Miss this weekend.

Iamaleava, a five-star that ranks as the No. 9 prospect in the 2023 class, already boasts more than 20 offers and the Rebels continue to step up their pursuit of the 6-foot-6, 200-pound quarterback.

Nicholaus Iamaleava has offers from UCLA, USC, Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, BYU, Florida State, Georgia, Hawaii, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Utah and Washington State.

Ole Miss is Nicholaus Iamaleava’s latest offer. Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin offered Iamaleava on Sept. 26. Rebels’ offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby officially extended the offer to Iamaleava and is the lead recruiter moving forward, but Kiffin is heavily involved, as he is with all quarterbacks.

Nicholaus Iamaleava was very active this past summer visiting several schools across the country including Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State, as well as UCLA and USC locally. 

He visited Notre Dame on Sept. 18 and the Irish offered him on the trip. Auburn also recently offered, but Iamaleava tells Simmons he is relatively wide open at this point in his recruitment.

Iamaleava told Simmons the schools he’s hearing the most from are Notre Dame, USC, UCLA, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Ole Miss but has no plans to narrow his list down any time soon.

Nicholaus Iamaleava not only QB visiting Ole Miss

Along with Nicholaus Iamaleava, another SoCal quarterback will be in Oxford for an unofficial visit this weekend. Sophomore quarterback Elijah Brown – who led Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei to a 42-21 victory over St. John Bosco last Friday night – will be visiting, too.

Brown was 13-for-18 for 263 yards and five touchdowns in the game. After that performance, USC offered over the weekend and Ole Miss extended an offer Tuesday.

“I have heard about the fans in the SEC, so I am excited about this visit,” Brown told Simmons. “I want to get down there and see the campus, look around the school, and just enjoy the experience.”