Fall Camp Fueled Nico Iamaleava's Quick UCLA Adjustment

The Bruins' star quarterback gives Costa Mesa credit for making him comfortable in Westwood.

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) warming up before the start of the NCAA college football playoff game against Ohio State on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UCLA's two-week stay in Costa Mesa, CA, to kick off fall training camp gave the team loads of internal resources. From bonding to focus, DeShaun Foster's planned trip was a success, but it was also huge for star transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

"That fall camp was huge for me," Iamaleava said during a sit-down with Ashley Adamson and Yogi Roth for the B1G Network's behind-the-scenes of UCLA's training camp. "It definitely helped my comfort level in the offense and just taking more control of the offense. Yeah, that fall camp was a really big thing for me."

One thing that came to Foster's surprise during camp, when it comes to Iamaleava, is the redshirt sophomore's leadership.

Iamaleava Reminds Foster of Julius Peppers

Foster is still learning more about star quarterback Nico Iamaleava through three weeks of training camp. One thing that's stood out thus far? His leadership, and it reminds Foster of an NFL legend and former Carolina Panthers teammate.

"He's just a leader," Foster said to Adamson and Roth. "I've been around Julius Peppers, and he's 6-7, but you can tell he might not want to be that size. But he just has a personality and people just gravitate to him and Nico is the same way.

Dec 17, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers (90) on the bench in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

"He just gets his team ready to go. You can see he's inserting his leadership each day. That last practice, he was chirping up the defense a little bit. It was fun just to see his personality come out. He's a competitor and I just can't wait to see him in live action."

Going into the 2025 season, Nico is hard to miss. He's one of the most talked-about names in the sport and the microscope will only grow larger when he takes the field for the first time against Utah on Aug. 30.

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