Just one day out from his UCLA football debut, the pressure is on for Nico Iamaleava. Luckily for the Bruins, the transfer quarterback is good at keeping a level head.
“Just his presence,” head coach DeShaun Foster said during Monday's media availability, when asked what impresses him about Iamaleava off the field. “Has a calm demeanor to himself and is just a leader. He has an aura around him that you can kind of, like, ‘OK, he has confidence.’”
It’s not just confidence either.
“That's a kid that is tough as nails,” a defensive coordinator scheduled to face UCLA this fall told ESPN. “When he runs, he doesn't look to slide. He can sling it. With development, he's going to be one of the top dudes in the country. He's [6-foot-6], tough to take down, can throw every ball. Needs a little bit more accuracy in the deep ball, but can throw it wherever he needs to put it. His eye progression needs a bit of work, but my guess is with another year, he's worked through that.”
UCLA will host Utah Saturday night, kicking off its season at 11 p.m. ET. As Iamaleava takes the field for the first time as a Bruin, the quarterback will wear No. 9, a slight switch from the No. 8 he wore at Tennessee.
“I had to switch it up,” the junior said during media availability Wednesday. “I got seven siblings and my two parents. They'll all be [at the game Saturday], so it'll be fun.”
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Iamaleava’s transfer to UCLA brought him not only to the Big Ten Conference, but also back home. He grew up in Downey, Calif., and attended Warren High School, where he was a five-star prospect ranked No. 2 nationally and among quarterbacks in the class of 2023.
When the quarterback left Knoxville, his brother Madden opted for UCLA as well. The younger Iamaleava is a true freshman dual-sport quarterback who originally committed to Arkansas, and the pair are now roommates in Westwood.