The Iamaleava’s are causing some recruiting issues for UCLA. DeShaun Foster was thrilled to land a premier quarterback in Nico Iamaleava, despite getting Joey Aguilar in the winter from Appalachian State. It was a two-for as Nico’s younger brother, Madden, transferred from Arkansas to LA too.
The problem with that is Foster landing the Iamaleava brothers also cost him Aguilar and now a five-star high school prospect. Brady Smigiel who announced last month he was canceling his visit to UCLA in the wake of the transfer portal moves.
I’ve been told that five-star QB Brady Smigiel will no longer be visiting UCLA on Tuesday following the addition of Arkansas transfer QB Madden Iamaleava.@Rivals / @Tracy_McDannald
— Adam Gorney (@adamgorney) April 22, 2025
Visits, realistically, don’t mean too much in the grand scheme of things. That said, if he is backing off his recruitment from UCLA, it could mean he could be pushing them out of contention. For now, Foster probably isn’t too worried about that, but it could backfire if the Iamaleava’s continue to be a headache.
DeShaun Foster can’t afford to have a blip with Nico, Madden Iamaleava, it could cost him a job
Foster is playing a dangerous game with the Iamaleava’s. Sure he felt he needed to make a big splash at quarterback, but why put that type of faith into Nico Iamaleava and then double down with his brother? Nico caused a raucous at Tennessee in the wake of his departure.
Who’s to say he doesn’t — or rather his dad — do the same thing at UCLA. Say Iamaleava has a good season, what’s stopping him from leaving again for a bigger program that will actually contend for a College Football Playoff spot.
If history repeats itself, Iamaleava will be a player that has at least one more pass for the transfer portal. Look at Jaden Rashada; he hasn’t spent more than a season at any school he’s transferred to.
Foster is putting all of his eggs in the Iamaleava basket and it’s a fragile one at that. Getting Nico is one thing but adding Madden seemed more forced than anything. Maybe he felt he had too to appease the dad.
UCLA and Foster think they have what they need in Iamaleava, but as the recruiting dominoes start to fall, it might not be everything it’s hyped up to be. And if the Iamaleava’s continue to have a negative affect on Foster’s recruiting and it doesn’t translate to wins, it could very well cost him his job.