Nico Iamaleava has not joined UCLA football officially yet, but is already creating buzz for the program.
The Tennessee quarterback transfer committed to the Bruins over the weekend following an exit with the Vols after the two sides could not agree on an NIL deal. Foster addressed the addition of the likely new starting UCLA quarterback following a spring practice on Tuesday.
“When was the last time we had this many people here talking to us, you know what I’m saying?” Foster said. “So this is a good buzz for us.”
Coach Foster speaks with the media before Tuesday’s practice 🎙️ @DeShaunFoster26#DRE#DoMorepic.twitter.com/AyNkyJo4S2
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) April 22, 2025
According to Foster, Iamaleava still has to finish his classes at UCLA before he can officially join the Bruins, likely during the summer. However, the second-year Bruins’ coach added that adding the rising sophomore QB was “just something that we couldn’t pass up.”
Iamaleava attended Warren High School in Downey, California, and was a five-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting cycle. He was behind only Texas quarterback Arch Manning as a quarterback prospect.
“A player that wanted to come home and be closer to be closer to his family,” Foster said. “I think family played a huge role and then being able to come back to California played a big role, too.”
Iamaleava reportedly was seeking a raise from Tennessee from the more than $2 million NIL deal he had signed when he committed to the program. When the Vols and Iamaleava could not agree to a new NIL deal, the Tennessee quarterback missed a team practice, which eventually contributed to his departure from the program.
When asked about the NIL package the Bruins gave to Iamaleava, Foster did not go into specifics, but called it “successful.”
“I don’t know what he was looking for or whatnot,” Foster said. “I know that he accepted our contract and he wants to be a Bruin, so that’s all I’m focused on. He wants to be here, and we’re excited.”
Iamaleava redshirted his true freshman season in 2023. He stepped into the starting quarterback role as a redshirt freshman during the 2024 season, throwing for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. He led the Vols to a College Football Playoff appearance.
Foster credited UCLA’s main NIL collective, “Bruins for Life,” for allowing the Bruins to contend for the No. 1 overall player in the transfer portal. That is something he did not feel the program could do in the past.
“I haven’t lost anybody this portal to money. We’ve been able to actually offer people the same amount or even more than what other people have offered them,” Foster said. “You want to be in conversations, you want to play big-time ball, you want to have haters, you want all of this stuff because that means that you’re trending in the right direction.”
DeShaun Foster on Joey Aguilar transfer
While Foster did not get into specifics about Iamaleava’s NIL deal, he did say that Iamaleava’s addition did not force Joey Aguilar to go into the portal, nor that his NIL deal was necessary to fulfill Iamaleava’s deal.
In fact, Foster informed Aguilar of the addition of Iamaleava to the roster and told Aguilar to stay and compete. Aguilar entered the portal on Monday and is headed to Tennessee to replace Iamaleava.
“When I was in the NFL, they drafted a running back every year,” Foster said. “Every year I was [at UCLA] as a running back, they recruited more running backs to come here. So, this is a competition sport for coaches, players, everybody.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UCLA coach DeShaun Foster talks about addition of QB Nico Iamaleava
Nico Iamaleava has not joined UCLA football officially yet, but is already creating buzz for the program.
The Tennessee quarterback transfer committed to the Bruins over the weekend following an exit with the Vols after the two sides could not agree on an NIL deal. Foster addressed the addition of the likely new starting UCLA quarterback following a spring practice on Tuesday.
“When was the last time we had this many people here talking to us, you know what I’m saying?” Foster said. “So this is a good buzz for us.”
Coach Foster speaks with the media before Tuesday’s practice 🎙️ @DeShaunFoster26#DRE#DoMorepic.twitter.com/AyNkyJo4S2
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) April 22, 2025
According to Foster, Iamaleava still has to finish his classes at UCLA before he can officially join the Bruins, likely during the summer. However, the second-year Bruins’ coach added that adding the rising sophomore QB was “just something that we couldn’t pass up.”
Iamaleava attended Warren High School in Downey, California, and was a five-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting cycle. He was behind only Texas quarterback Arch Manning as a quarterback prospect.
“A player that wanted to come home and be closer to be closer to his family,” Foster said. “I think family played a huge role and then being able to come back to California played a big role, too.”
Iamaleava reportedly was seeking a raise from Tennessee from the more than $2 million NIL deal he had signed when he committed to the program. When the Vols and Iamaleava could not agree to a new NIL deal, the Tennessee quarterback missed a team practice, which eventually contributed to his departure from the program.
When asked about the NIL package the Bruins gave to Iamaleava, Foster did not go into specifics, but called it “successful.”
“I don’t know what he was looking for or whatnot,” Foster said. “I know that he accepted our contract and he wants to be a Bruin, so that’s all I’m focused on. He wants to be here, and we’re excited.”
Iamaleava redshirted his true freshman season in 2023. He stepped into the starting quarterback role as a redshirt freshman during the 2024 season, throwing for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. He led the Vols to a College Football Playoff appearance.
Foster credited UCLA’s main NIL collective, “Bruins for Life,” for allowing the Bruins to contend for the No. 1 overall player in the transfer portal. That is something he did not feel the program could do in the past.
“I haven’t lost anybody this portal to money. We’ve been able to actually offer people the same amount or even more than what other people have offered them,” Foster said. “You want to be in conversations, you want to play big-time ball, you want to have haters, you want all of this stuff because that means that you’re trending in the right direction.”
DeShaun Foster on Joey Aguilar transfer
While Foster did not get into specifics about Iamaleava’s NIL deal, he did say that Iamaleava’s addition did not force Joey Aguilar to go into the portal, nor that his NIL deal was necessary to fulfill Iamaleava’s deal.
In fact, Foster informed Aguilar of the addition of Iamaleava to the roster and told Aguilar to stay and compete. Aguilar entered the portal on Monday and is headed to Tennessee to replace Iamaleava.
“When I was in the NFL, they drafted a running back every year,” Foster said. “Every year I was [at UCLA] as a running back, they recruited more running backs to come here. So, this is a competition sport for coaches, players, everybody.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UCLA coach DeShaun Foster talks about addition of QB Nico Iamaleava
