PASADENA, Calif. — When UCLA brought in Nico Iamaleava earlier this spring, the program didn’t just sign him to be its quarterback.
By adding Iamaleava, the Bruins committed — for better or worse — to unofficially make one of the highest-profile figures in the sport the face of a program in need of serious rejuvenation. On the surface, it was the perfect marriage between a quarterback who needed a fresh start in a place close to home and a program needing star power heading into Year 2 as a member of the Big Ten.
When Iamaleava’s face plastered throughout the Rose Bowl, it’s evident UCLA has gone all-in on him despite his messy exit from Tennessee after a high-stakes standoff over NIL contract negotiations. Because of the baggage that came with such a signing, UCLA was taking a calculated risk of betting on the talent of the No. 1 overall player in the 247Sports transfer rankings to provide a spark. The Bruins knew if they added Iamaleava they’d lose Joey Aguilar (more on him here).
Like hype coming out of a balloon, just over 35,000 fans slowly trickled out of the Rose Bowl late Saturday night as the margins kept getting worse in UCLA’s eventual 43-10 loss to Utah.
Iamaleava finished 11 of 22 for 136 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked four times, while Utah quarterback Devon Dampier, who was making his first start since transferring from New Mexico, was kept upright the entire game.
Iamaleava missed open receivers, threw an interception directly to Utah linebacker Trey Reynolds, and couldn’t dig his team out of an early hole. It certainly was not all his fault. The Utes, a trendy pick to win the Big 12, dominated in the trenches on both sides of the ball from start to finish and outclassed UCLA for 60 minutes.
Sure, there were flashes of what made Iamaleava such a highly touted prospect to begin with. His best throw of the evening was a 19-yard touchdown pass to running back Anthony Woods in the second quarter, but the offense lacked consistency and structure to keep up with Utah. This game was a reality check for not only UCLA, but also Iamaleava: if things don’t change quickly, this could be his new normal.
“We didn’t execute well,” Iamaleava said. “We (have) to finish drives. … Me personally, I gotta do better. We have to do better as a unit.”
Tennessee fans who stayed up late Saturday to watch their former QB fizzle no doubt bandied around the below passed from CBS Sports’ John Talty, who reported the Iamaleava camp was worried there was not enough talent surrounding him at Tennessee.
In fact, one of the reasons for Nico Iamaleava’s departure from Tennessee was discomfort over the offensive line and wide receivers that were returning to Knoxville this season. Iamaleava’s camp, which included his father Nic and family friend Cordell Landers, wanted Tennessee to be more aggressive in adding players to help the quarterback. After a season that ended in Iamaleava’s helmet cracking twice against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff, Iamaleava’s advisors wanted a better offensive line to protect him. There was frustration this spring, too, over a wide receivers room that was now without Bru McCoy and Dont’e Thornton Jr.
To make it worse for Iamaleava, Aguilar looked sharp in his debut as Tennessee’s starter. He finished 16 of 28 for 247 yards and three touchdowns and was able to shake off a lackluster start to help his team record a 45-26 win over Syracuse just over 11 hours before UCLA began its season. He looked like a perfect fit for exactly what Tennessee coach Josh Heupel needs from his quarterback to compete for berths to the College Football Playoff.
UCLA designed a game plan for Iamaleava to play to his strengths, which consisted of staying in the shotgun for most of the evening, with a majority of his pass attempts coming on quick hitters to get the ball out of his hand immediately. When Utah extended its lead to 30-10 in the final minutes of the third quarter, the game plan went out the window.
“Nico is a competitor,” coach DeShaun Foster said. “He’s not going to quit. … we have to do a better job of protecting and keeping him upright.”
One game won’t define Iamaleava’s stint at UCLA. Whether he stays one or two years at the school, he can change the narrative and turn perception around quickly with winnable games on the schedule against UNLV, New Mexico and Northwestern.
The next real test will come on Oct. 4, when UCLA hosts No. 2 Penn State. Until then, he’ll probably benefit from a month under the radar.
“For me (it’s) taking myself back to the drawing board and using this film as a learning experience,” Iamaleava said. “What to see out there will definitely help me out.”
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