Nico Iamaleava

1/20/23

Nico Iamaleava earns MVP honors at Polynesian Bowl

Charles Power•

Nico Iamaleava earned offensive MVP honors at the Polynesian Bowl, after completing 13 of 20 passes for 186 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed for 65 yards on just five attempts. Iamaleava was picked by Utah On300 cornerback signee CJ Blocker on a far hash throw into a stiff headwind on the first drive. He quickly settled in on the next drive, hitting five-star USC wide receiver signee Zachariah Branch on a slant for an electric 39-yard touchdown. Another passing highlight came in the second quarter, with Iamaleava delivering a beautiful deep ball to five-star tight end Duce Robinson. Overall, Iamaleava showed the immense physical tools that led to him finishing as On3’s No. 1 overall prospect in the 2023 cycle. He looks to clearly be the most physically-gifted 2023 quarterback at this stage and is one of the more talented prospects in the cycle, regardless of position. Iamaleava’s big arm showed up in the all-star setting. He easily drove the ball downfield. The arm pairs with a twitchy athleticism – rare for a quarterback of of his size. Iamaleava’s wheels were evident on an explosive 58-yard scramble where he showed considerable burst and a long, smooth stride in the open field. He also effortlessly evaded pressure on a number of occasions, flashing the high-level escapability that contributed to his rise to No. 1 overall.

1/17/23

Nico Iamaleava finishes as On3's No. 1 overall prospect in 2023 cycle

Charles Power•

Nico Iamaleava edges out Alabama signee Keon Keeley and Texas quarterback signee Arch Manning as the No. 1 overall prospect in the final On300. The Tennessee signee is a big-armed, twitchy athlete who fares better against pressure than Manning. There is also a little less ambiguity with Iamaleava as we’ve seen him compete and star in a neutral setting, while Manning has been confined strictly to his high school football team while facing varying levels of competition.

6/15/22

Nico Iamaleava overall On3 MVP at Overtime OT7 7-on-7

Charles Power•

Nico Iamaleava was the overall On3 MVP at the loaded Overtime OT7 event. Iamaleava looked like the clear top quarterback – and perhaps overall prospect – over the course of the weekend at OT7. The Tennessee commit missed the action on Thursday, but was a standout performer over the tournament’s final three days. Iamaleava looked like a natural in the 7-on-7 setting. His physical gifts are well-documented, but were still palpable when placed on the same field with other blue-chip prospects.

The 6-foot-5.5, 190 pounder has one of the stronger arms in the 2023 cycle with the ability to throw with ease to all levels of the field. We saw him stick the football into tight windows on several occasions. The Volunteer commit’s throws didn’t have issues cutting through the 20-plus mile per hour winds on Sunday. Iamaleava also impressed with his field vision, zipping through his reads to find open receivers, sometimes scanning the entire width of the field. He was poised in pressure situations and was 4 for 4 on a game-winning drive during knockout play on Sunday. Iamaleava nearly carried his team to an upset win over Cam Newton’s C1N team as well. We also got to see a glimpse of his athletic ability, which isn’t always the case in the 7-on-7 setting. Teams are allowed very limited opportunities to blitz in this format. Nearly all of the other quarterbacks weren’t able to get away from the unabated blitzers and were forced to eat sacks. That was not the case with Iamaleava. He escaped on more than one occasion and was able to hit completions on the run.

Seeing Nico Iamaleava play in this setting also shined a light on his demeanor and leadership skills. He elevated his teammates more than any other quarterback on hand and played with a mature, but loose vibe. While his Team Toa squad has some FBS-quality prospects at receiver, he was not playing with a loaded roster like most of the other touted quarterbacks. Still, Iamaleava defeated or put a major scare into more talented teams. Overall, it was performance fitting of a five-star quarterback and top five overall prospect.

2/28/22

Nico Iamaleava moves up to No. 5 overall in overhauled On300

Charles Power•

Nico Iamaleava moves up to No. 5 overall, closing the gap on Manning and Nelson. The 6-foot-6, 200-pounder has a strong case as the top pure arm talent in the cycle. Iamaleava has palpable arm strength that particularly jumps out in in-person evaluations. He has a tight throwing motion for a taller prospect with longer arms and the ball jumps out of his hand. Iamaleava also moves well and shows the ability to pick up some yards when the play breaks down. His games at Downey (Calif.) Warren can be a bit hard to parse as his offense relies heavily on short passes, but the natural talent is still quite evident. Iamaleava completed around 60 percent of his passes as a junior for 2,244 yards and 33 touchdowns against just one interception.

8/01/21

Nico Iamaleava rated as an initial five-star by On3

Charles Power•

Nico Iamaleava was one of ten initial five-stars in On3's 2023 rankings. he might be the best in 2023 in terms of raw physical tools. Iamaleava is a fluid mover and has outstanding arm strength. We had the chance to watch him throw in person at Clemson’s camp this summer and came away impressed with the arm talent. Receivers at the camp had trouble handling the velocity on Iamaleava’s throws.Iamaleava’s physical talent has begun to manifest itself on the field, as well. Iamaleava had a strong spring season at Downey (Calif.) Warren, completing over 60% of his passes for 17 touchdowns and just one interception.

6/05/21

Nico Iamaleava turns heads at Clemson camp

Charles Power•

Iamaleava worked out in the Saturday morning session prior to Manning. At 6-foot-6, 190 pounds, Iamaleava has a tall, slender build with plenty of room to fill out. He moved very well in footwork drills, planting and changing directions with ease – not a huge surprise given he doubles as a top volleyball player. Iamaleava impressed with his considerable arm strength. He was able to easily generate considerable velocity on his throws across the middle of the field. The ball often came in too hot for the younger camp receivers to corral. Iamaleava is still a little raw at times technically. There are still some things for him to organize mechanically, given he’s a taller quarterback. Regardless, the physical upside is undeniable. Iamaleava’s best moments were perhaps the best of any quarterback we saw throw over the week.