In his first game since transferring away from the Tennessee Volunteers, quarterback Nico Iamaleava struggled in his UCLA Bruins debut, losing 43-10 at home. Now just days out from UCLA’s first road game of the season, one of the defenders who will be facing the Bruins’ starting quarterback expressed a blunt view of his talent.
Speaking to reporters during a press conference on Monday, UNLV Rebels defensive back Aamaris Brown was asked about Iamaleava. He offered a direct assessment after watching Iamaleava’s film, stating that “nothing” really stands out with him.
- Nico Iamalaeava stats (2025): 50% completion rate, 136 passing yards, 6.2 yards per attempt, 1-1 TD-INT, 4 sacks taken, 47 rushing yards, 50.4 ESPN QBR
Read More: Week 2 College Football Rankings, Tennessee and Utah Climb
“Honestly, nothing really sticks out to me about him, honestly. You know, in the past, there’s been talk about ‘five-star this, five-star that.’ I have been around plenty of five-star and four-star (players), it don’t scare me…I have played competition higher than them, including Alabama and all that…Going against a guy like Nico, there’s no surprise, no excitement or nothing like that.”
UNLV Rebels DB Aamaris Brown on UCLA Bruins QB Nico Iamaleava
Iamaleava arrived at Tennessee before the 2023 season, rated as a 247 Sports five-star recruit and the second-best player in the class behind Arch Manning. He made his first start as the Volunteers’ quarterback in the Citrus Bowl, completing 12-of-19 attempts with 151 passing yards, an 80.3 ESPN QBR and four total touchdowns against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
He became the full-time starter last season. In 2024, Iamaleava completed 63.8 percent of his passes with a 19-5 TD-INT ratio, 2,616 passing yards, 28 sacks taken, 358 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. When his request for an increase in his NIL payment from Tennessee to approximately $4 million for the 2025 season wasn’t met, the two sides parted ways.
Related: UCLA Bruins Home Opener Reaches Shocking Statistical Lows
He was again rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 1 player in the transfer portal. He returned to Southern California, agreeing to become the Bruins’ quarterback. It wound up being a quarterback swap for the two programs, with Joey Aguilar transferring from UCLA to Tennessee.
- Joey Aguilar stats (ESPN): 57.1% completion rate, 247 passing yards, 3-0 TD-INT, 8.8 yards per attempt, 34 rushing yards, 62.3 ESPN QBR
Iamaleava’s struggles in his UCLA debut came just hours after Aguilar played well in his first start for Tennessee. Facing Syracuse, the senior quarterback recorded 3 touchdowns, didn’t take a sack and finished with 111 more passing yards than Iamaleava did.
With Iamaleava gone, Tennessee was able to allocate more of its NIL funding toward the offensive line and the 2026 recruiting class. As for UCLA, it hopes to fare better in Week 2 against a Rebels’ defense that has given up 52 points and 887 total yards combined in two games against Idaho State and Sam Houston this season.
Related: UCLA has No Good Answers After Blowout Loss to Utah