One Big Ten coach has thrown some shade on Nico Iamaleava’s journey to becoming
UCLA’s new quarterback.
Unnamed Big Ten Coach Knocks Nico Iamaleava & UCLA Union in Scouting Report
A new report capturing the assessment of teams in the Big Ten from an unnamed coach has drawn some eyes, mainly for their view of how star quarterback Nico Iamaleava came to take over the position at UCLA for the upcoming season.
“If Nico [Iamaleava] wasn’t a local kid, I don’t think these two end up together,” one coach stated.” It’s going be fascinating to watch, and it’s hard to understand if you’re in Nico’s camp. This is a less talented roster than Knoxville, and they’re rebuilding the offensive line with portal guys and a new OL coach and coordinator.”
Anonymous Coaches’ Comments on UCLA in Athlon Sports CFB Magazine
“If Nico [Iamaleava] wasn’t a local kid, I don’t think these two end up together. It’s going be fascinating to watch, and it’s hard to understand if you’re in Nico’s camp. This is a less talented roster than… pic.twitter.com/uqkLboDRAo
— The Big Ten Huddle 🎙️ (@TheBigTenHuddle) May 28, 2025
The report from Athlon Sports asked coaches and staff members in the Big Ten Conference to give their takes on their in-conference opponents. The report pointedly referenced Iamaleava’s turbulent departure from the University of Tennessee in its overview of the UCLA Bruins.
Another source had questions about the Bruins’ chemistry coming together under coach DeShaun Foster before the season gets underway.
“This is a team with a ton of questions, an almost all-new staff and a superstar transfer at QB,” the source said. “They’re going to steal a lot of attention from USC for a bit, but it’s going to be a huge challenge for a young, unproven head coach to keep this from becoming a circus that falls apart.”
“They portaled a lot of guys in on defense to make up for some major losses, so don’t expect a major improvement there,” another anonymous staffer said, referring to UCLA’s active transfer season last month.
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Iamaleava’s decision to sit out Tennessee’s spring practices before declaring for the transfer portal and committing to UCLA has become the premier drama of the offseason. Still, his talent has the potential to help the Bruins make their mark in the Big Ten a year after falling just short of a bowl game in Foster’s first year as their coach.
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