One of the weirdest transfer portal moves of 2025 was Nico Iamaleava’s transfer from Tennessee to UCLA. Everything started with Iamaleava demanding significant NIL money from the Volunteers and threatening to enter the transfer portal. Noticing that an agreement wasn’t forthcoming, Imaleava went through with his threat.
UCLA’s DeShaun Foster on QB Nico Iamaleava: “The arm strength is something you see. He’s just a talent. He’s played w/a lot of players on our team. There’s a lot of familarity there. Coming back home & being comfortable. The sky’s the limit”
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 24, 2025
He ended up at UCLA, reportedly for less money than he had at Tennessee, in a more expensive market and with a less competitive program. While the move remains dumbfounding for fans and analysts alike, if someone is excited to see him play in LA, it is Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster.
“The arm strength is something you see. He’s just a talent. He’s played with a lot of players on our team. There’s a lot of familiarity there. Coming back home & being comfortable. The sky’s the limit,” said Foster on Thursday during the Big Ten Media Days.
“We’re just excited to have a playoff quarterback, somebody that was able to lead his team to the playoffs,” Foster added. “They might not have gotten the outcome that they wanted, but he still was able to play and he showed how tough he was in that game.”
Imaleava led the Tennessee Volunteers to their first College Football Playoff appearance last season, where they lost to eventual national champions Ohio State during the first round.
Tennessee’s 10-3 overall record was enough for them to end the season as the No. 9 team in the nation, according to the AP Poll. In the process, the former five-star recruit recorded 2616 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
Khary Darlington on the reaction to Nico Imaleava’s arrival at the UCLA Bruins
Speaking recently with The Athletic, Bruins general manager Khary Darlington revealed the atmosphere at UCLA right after they finalized the deal that brought Nico Iamaleava to Los Angeles.
“You saw a reaction from everybody,” Darlington said. “It was almost like everybody’s back straightened up: ‘Ohhh, shoot, Nico’s here!’ Being a local guy, there are so many people on the team already that he knew, there was this excitement: ‘Wow, we have a real guy on campus that can be a real big difference-maker for us.’”
It’s understandable, as Nico Imaleava is arguably the biggest prospect who has transferred to UCLA since the inception of the modern-day transfer portal. Whether or not he will be a difference maker, only time will tell.
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