Nico Iamleava’s decision to hit the transfer portal and leave Rocky Top is looking worse by the day. After a 0-4 start to the 2025 season that can easily turn into a 0-12 finish, Iamaleava’s UCLA Bruins fired offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri on Tuesday night. The team fired head football coach Deshaun Foster after a 35-10 loss to the New Mexico Lobos in Week 3. Tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel will take over, per ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.
In response to the offensive coaching staff that Iamaleava committed to being canned, ESPN’s Peter Burns rubbed salt in the wound.
“Amazing turn of events as I can remember just a few months ago someone said that Nico left Tennessee because he didn't think the offense was good enough for him and that UCLA was a better fit for him,” Burns wrote.
Iamaleava’s comments this past week about Tim Skipper forecasted this change.
“I’ve been good, man,” Iamaleava said on Wednesday when asked how he’s handling Foster’s firing. “I think Coach Skip [Interim head coach Tim Skipper] coming in and relaying the message to us about what we got to do for Coach Fos [DeShaun Foster] has been great, and I think the whole team has really heard the message… Since I first got here, Coach Tino [Sunseri] and Coach Fos pushed me to take that leadership role and be more vocal with the guys. I think that’s continuing to take over with the team now.”
The writing is on the wall for Iamaleava to leave Westwood and find a third Power 4 home via the portal. Schools that otherwise wouldn’t have invested big into a player of his caliber could rise with the new revenue-share model and offer Iamaleava a big-money NIL deal. Any athletic department could talk itself into a QB who led his team to the College Football Playoff.
Any new Bruins coaching staff will be unwilling to put in the same investment in Iamaleava based on the early results, barring a miraculous turnaround against the Penn State Nittany Lions, Michigan State Spartans, Maryland Terrapins, Indiana Hoosiers, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Ohio State Buckeyes, Washington Huskies, and USC Trojans the rest of the way.
We’ll see what he can earn for himself over the next eight games. There’s money to be made with the caliber of opponent UCLA is facing.