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Reports say Nico Iamaleava—Tennessee’s golden-armed, Hawaiian-haired QB prodigy—just pulled a fast one on the Vols and is now headed to… UCLA. Yeah, you read that right. From the College Football Playoff to Pasadena Purgatory.
Former Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava is expected to transfer to UCLA, per @BruceFeldmanCFB
Iamaleava started 14 games and helped lead the Vols to the College Football Playoff last season pic.twitter.com/eUr2r9xjTW
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 16, 2025
Word on the street is his family wasn’t vibing with Tennessee’s offense. Too conservative. Too vanilla. Not enough sauce for the Iamaleava clan. But let’s be real—that offense got to the freaking playoffs. So if it’s not about winning, then… what is it?
The money convo always lurking. UCLA allegedly offering up $1.75 million. Not chump change by any means, but still a big dip from the $4 million his pops was reportedly sniffing around for.
$4 mil dreams. $1.75 mil reality. UCLA offense. No real O-line. No identity. Just vibes and vintage jerseys.
Like… have you seen their Big 10 offense lately? It’s been giving Iowa energy—no rhythm, no spice, just sad field goals and screens on 3rd and 12. Chip Kelly gone. NIL vibes mid. Fan energy? Dormant.
But hey, maybe Nico just wanted a beach. Maybe he’s got a YouTube channel to launch. Maybe it’s just “new chapter” szn.
The QB they waited for, invested in, hyped up… bounced without even seeing year two. Brutal. Not even a farewell post. Just a “Thanks and God Bless” in the IG story font.
But here’s the thing—UCLA isn’t ready. Not for the Big 10. Not for Iamaleava. Not for anything resembling relevance unless they overhaul everything.
Nico’s got the talent. Cannon arm. Elite tools. But this move? Risky. This ain’t Madden. Fit matters. System matters. Culture matters. And right now, UCLA feels more like a pause button than a step forward.
