Many were quick to write off quarterback Nico Iamaleava and UCLA as the losers of the apparent QB swap with Tennessee, after the Long Beach native transferred from Knoxville this summer and former Bruin Joey Aguilar replaced him. Iamaleava was heading to a program that hadn't had much of any recent success, seemingly for no reason other than money, while the Vols had a sturdy infrastructure on both sides of the ball.
Well, just looking at each team's record, it's easy to declare Tennessee the early winner. The 4-1 Volunteers are still solidly in the chase to return to the College Football Playoff, while the 2-4 Bruins are just starting to turn things around. But it's the recent about-face by UCLA that should be scrutinized, and Iamaleava has been at the center of it.
The 21-year-old passer has a combined 346 passing yards and five touchdowns in his last two games, both victories over Big Ten foes Penn State and Michigan State. His 954 passing yards total so far this season is already 36 percent of his total from last year under Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel (2,616 yards).
Don’t look now, but Nico Iamaleava might actually be feeling it at UCLA pic.twitter.com/W4aS7XZz1i
— Travis May (@FF_TravisM) October 11, 2025
Has UCLA finally unlocked Nico Iamaleava's potential?
UCLA fired head coach DeShaun Foster on Sept. 14, with special assistant Tim Skipper taking his place in the interim. The program also fired offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Jerry Neuheisel. Under Skipper and Neuheisel, the Bruins are 2-1, and Iamaleava has seemingly come back to life.
While Aguilar has helped lead Heupel and Tennessee to a solid start after five weeks, the argument could be made that Iamaleava is poised to unleash his full potential for UCLA under Neuheisel's guidance. Heupel's offense often felt like a suboptimal fit to try and harness Iamaleava's considerable gifts; with Neuheisel at the helm, he's calmer, more composed and simply taking what the defense gives him more often rather than trying to hit home runs.
There was a lot of pressure and expectation for Iamaleava in Knoxville, and perhaps the slow start to this season has allowed him to relax and just play ball his way. There's still a lot of football left to be played but even despite the four losses, Iamaleava's 66.2 completion percentage is already a career best compared to his two seasons at Tennessee. (Granted, he's already thrown three interceptions this year and had just five picks last season.)
Whatever the explanation may be, Neuheisel has found a winning formula with Iamaleava and will be looking to continue to harness it. Who knows what Iamaleava's individual ceiling may be under this new guidance?