The UCLA Bruins are getting conflicting reports about former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who entered the NCAA transfer portal on Wednesday, which marked the opening day of the spring transfer portal window. This window will remain open through April 25, allowing student-athletes to explore other opportunities. Iamaleava entered the portal with a “do not contact” tag.
Following Iamaleava’s entry into the transfer portal, Matt Zenitz of 247Sports provided an update, focusing on the potential connection with UCLA. “There doesn’t seem to be much traction at the moment with UCLA and Nico Iamaleava,” Zenitz announced. “Remains difficult to get a great read on what the true market is for him right now.”
UCLA Bruins Get Conflicting Nico Iamaleava Updates
On the other hand, Pete Nakos of On3 sees all of Iamaleava’s roads leading to Westwood, as interest from Tulane and North Carolina has waned in his opinion, “UCLA is still very much a viable option,” he said. “I got a phone call last night that UCLA feels like they’re still in the mix on this.”
Steve Wiltfong corroborates this, but Nakos concedes that nothing is close at the moment.
“UCLA is the school On3’s Steve Wiltfong and I continue to hear the most about. The Bruins have been the consistent program in Iamaleavea’s portal recruitment since news broke around his status with the Volunteers last night.”
They also see returning home to Southern California as a draw with a big complicating factor, “While returning home to the West Coast makes plenty of sense, UCLA looked great for Iamaleavea’s younger brother, Madden, who flipped to Arkansas during the early signing period this past winter. The Bruins were blindsided by the move, and they haven’t forgotten about that in Westwood.”
During his time at Tennessee from 2023-24, Iamaleava appeared in 18 games. He completed 241 of 379 passing attempts, accumulating 2,930 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He also contributed 435 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 129 rushing attempts. In the 2024 season, Tennessee achieved a 10-3 record (6-2 in the SEC) and earned a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time in the school’s history.