Quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s transfer from Tennessee to UCLA was one of the offseason’s biggest stories. As Week 1 gets closer and closer, Iamaleava’s transfer drama appears smaller and smaller in the Bruins’ rearview mirror.
Second year head coach and UCLA alum DeShaun Foster spoke emphatically Thursday in Las Vegas on the final of three Big Ten Football Media Days, joking that his team was in fact “still in L.A.” in reference to his viral comments last year.
When asked about what characteristics in Iamaleava he felt would help elevate UCLA’s program, Foster had a lot to say. Iamaleava has impressive arm strength, but it’s more than that.
“He's just a talent. It's not anything that I saw him do last season, it's more of what I had seen him do all the way up,” Foster explained. “Him being a local quarterback, I've seen him play a few times and he's played with a lot of players that are on our team, so there's a lot of familiarity there. Just being able to come back home and be comfortable and being in a familiar environment, I think sky's the limit. So we're excited about this.”
As a prospect, Iamaleava was a five-star, No. 2 overall recruit in the class of 2023, per 247Sports. The rising junior was also a five-star transfer this season, ranked best overall option in the portal. Iamaleava’s experience in the SEC and at the playoff level made him particularly attractive to the Bruins.
“We're just excited to have a playoff quarterback, somebody that was able to lead his team to the playoffs,” Foster said. “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.”
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Foster, Iamaleava and the Bruins were projected to finish 15th in the Big Ten this season by CBS Sports. UCLA’s schedule isn’t terrible — the Bruins are scheduled to face top conference opponents Penn State and Ohio State, but will avoid matchups with other Big Ten powers Oregon, Illinois and Michigan.