Newcomer Profile: Get to know five-star QB signee Nico Iamaleava

Five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava of Long Beach (Calif.) Warren High School is the nation’s No. 10 overall prospect, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. On3 ranks Iamaleava as the No. 2 player overall and quarterback in the class and the overall best player in California. Volquest kicks off its newcomer series by getting to know the elite Tennessee quarterback signee.

Bio

Nico Iamaleava

Warren High School (Calif.)

Quarterback/6-5.5/195

Committed to Tennessee on 3/21/2022

Signed on 12/21/2022

Recruiting Ranking

On3- National (2)/ QB (2)/ California (1)

On3 Consensus-National (10)/ QB (5)/ California (2)

On3 NIL Valuation ($1.2m)

HS Football NIL Rank- #1

Total social media followers- 320k

Nico’s Social Media Accounts

Instagram- @nico_iamaleava8

Twitter- @nico_iamaleava8

On3 High School scouting summary

“High-upside signal caller who may have the best physical tools among quarterbacks in the 2023 cycle. Has one of the stronger arms in the cycle, generating considerable velocity on his throws in camp settings. Tall with a slender build with room to fill out. Boasts a quick, clean throwing motion despite his longer arms. A bouncy, fluid mover who doubles as a top volleyball player. Still developing in terms of some technical aspects of the game. Plays in a high school offense that is heavily skewed towards quick passes and screens. Can continue to improve his accuracy on downfield passes. Has done a very good job taking care of the football with just two interceptions in his first two varsity seasons. 

Reminds us of Justin Herbert- Like Justin Herbert, Nico Iamaleava is a taller, big-armed quarterback with some of the better natural physical tools we’ve seen from a quarterback in the last few recruiting cycles. Both check in at over 6-foot-5 and have big arms with the ability to drive the football to all levels of the field. They’re also gifted athletically, with the reactive quickness to make plays with their mobility.

Volquest’s Take

Iamaleava was massive for Tennessee’s class. The Vols evaluated and courted a few elite signal-callers last winter, but after getting Iamaleava on campus a couple of times, the chances of him heading to Knoxville became very real. Josh Heupel and Joey Halzle led a tireless effort to hold off Alabama and Oregon, among numerous others. Iamaleava sparked this class and made Tennessee one of the cool schools again. 

From an on-field standpoint, he possesses elite traits despite still being raw in certain areas. He can make any throw you ask of him, be it with his arm strength or touch. He is mobile and possesses plenty of escapability. He has plenty of room to grow inside of his frame and still maintain his athleticism. There are plenty of reasons to be excited about Iamaleava, but give Tennessee’s staff time to develop him before hoping to see him thrown into the fire. He should be able to effectively engineer this high-powered offense sooner than later, and if all goes according to plan, he will have a chance to take it to new heights. 

Five things to know about Nico Iamaleava

Favorite Food- Coco Rice

Favorite Movie- Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Favorite Video Game- Madden 23, Assassins Creed, UFC

Favorite Pre-Game Song- It changes every game.

Favorite NFL Player(s)- Josh Allen, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers

About On3 NIL Valuation

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athlete’s projected annual value (PAV).

A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation establishes the overall NIL market and projected 12-month growth rate by measuring two categories, Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index.  

The Brand Value Index measures the national licensing and sponsorship market. The Roster Value Index collects data from all school Collectives into a proprietary Roster Management software. Brand Value and Roster Value are combined to create the overall NIL market.

Using the overall NIL market size, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s Brand Value and Roster Value by using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories:

+ Performance
+ Influence
+ Exposure

While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career. The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future.

The On3 NIL Valuation is publicly available. Performance, Influence, and Exposure ratings along with the athlete’s personal Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index are available only to the athlete in the “Athlete Verified” private dashboard on the On3 Athlete Network.