UCLA is expected to land Tennessee transfer Nico Iamaleava
The big free agent in the spring transfer portal is set to head home. Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is going to the expected. Second-year UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster now looks like he has a new face of the franchise. The Athletic is reporting that Iamaleava will most likely be a Bruin next season.
The SEC quarterback is heading to the Big Ten.
Will UCLA pay Nico Iamaleava the $4 million his camp was looking for from Tennessee? That has not been determined yet but the answer is probably not. There is also the cost of living and taxes situation where a lot more money will be coming out of Iamaleava’s paycheck living in Westwood as opposed to living in Knox County. The biggest story in college football has been settled — for now.
Nico Iamaleava was famously a five-star recruit who Tennessee agreed to a $8 million deal with once NIL was passed. Just last year, Tennessee got their local government involved when the NCAA threatened to make Iamaleava ineligible for a deal they felt was pay-for-play. But the school refused to give in when Iamaleava and his camp went searching for a raise heading into his third season on Rocky Top.
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The former ballyhooed recruit sat behind Joe Milton as a true freshman before getting the starting job as a redshirt freshman in 2024. The Southern California native helped lead the Vols to the College Football Playoff and a 10-2 regular-season record. Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards on 7.8 yards per attempt with 475 non-sack rushing yards and 22 total touchdowns in 13 games last fall.
The high-profile transfer will play for a UCLA program entering its second season in the Big Ten. The Bruins finished 5-7 (3-6) in their first year under Foster. Former Pittsburgh quarterback and Indiana offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri is taking over as play-caller for the Bruins and will likely have Nico Iamaleava as his starting quarterback.
College football is never boring.
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