Former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava has reportedly locked in on a new home via the transfer portal. Westwood ho!
Iamaleava is set to transfer to UCLA, according to Colin Cowherd. Bruce Feldman confirmed that report. It's not terribly surprising. His options had basically been whittled down to just the Bruins. The only question was whether they'd pay up. Cowherd didn't answer the NIL question, but he did throw a firework onto the burning couch of Tennessee's anger.
"I am told — moments ago — Nico Iamaleava is going to UCLA. Family still claims it's NOT about the [bag of money emoji]. It's about the @Vol_Football offense. I was not told what the Bruins are paying," Cowherd tweeted.
I am told — moments ago — Nico Iamaleava is going to UCLA. Family still claims it’s NOT about the 💰It’s about the @Vol_Football offense. I was not told what the Bruins are paying.
— Colin Cowherd (@colincowherd) April 16, 2025
Nico Iamaleava now insists money didn't turn him off Tennessee, Josh Heupel did
Iamaleava's family refuses to take blame for the situation the quarterback is in now. So a new excuse shouldn't surprise anyone. That excuse is head scratching all the same.
I'm no Heupel true believer. I'd agree with the assessment that Tennessee's offense leaves something to be desired. But Knoxville for UCLA's offense is like complaining that your Mazda CX5 doesn't have enough pickup and then trading it in for a Toyota Prius.
Tennessee averaged better than 30 points per game in each season Iamaleava took snaps. With Hendon Hooker at the helm in 2022 and 2023, the Vols are closer to or above 40 points per game. ESPN's Football Power index rated Heupel's offense last season as 27th nationally.
UCLA averaged 18.4 points in DeShaun Foster's first year in charge. The Eric Bienemy hire turned out to be a disaster, which accounts for that putrid output. Sure, the Bruins should be better under former Indiana co-offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri, but how much better? Sunseri is entering just his fifth year as a full-time coach and he had one year of co-OC experience with the Hoosiers. He comes from a strong coaching tree, but he's inexperienced and unproven as a play caller or solo OC.
Obviously, landing in Westwood wasn't the best case scenario for Iamaleava. If Lincoln RIley at USC had been interested, that would have been one thing. A bite from Oregon would have been appealing for sure. But it seems the QB's options were North Carolina, Tulane and UCLA. None of them national title contenders and none of them considerable upgrades in terms of offensive prowess or pro development.
And let's cut to the chase here. If Iamaleava truly didn't want to play in Heupel's offense any longer, he could have jumped in the portal in January when many more attractive programs were on the hunt for a star QB. He didn't, probably because that wasn't actually his biggest reason for leaving.