Nico Iamaleava's Performance Could Alter UCLA's Recruiting Class

The UCLA Bruins are set to begin their season sooner rather than later, as their season will begin on Saturday, which is just a few days away at this point. It has been reported over and over and over again that the UCLA Bruins are a team that will recruit heavily 365 days a year, so even though the football season is in play, it doesn't mean that the Bruins won't recruit.

In fact, the season could go very well to the point where it could help recruiting take a jump in the 2026 recruiting class, although the majority of their top targets have already committed to them and will likely sign in the early signing period. Which begins in the month of December.

There are multiple additions that the UCLA Bruins made during the off-season through the transfer portal, including the one that made headlines all over the place as they added the Tennessee Volunteers quarterback, Nico Iamaleava. Iamaleava is a superstar quarterback at the college level, who has shown time and time again that he is among the best in the nation when it comes to signal-calling.

Tennessee fans will say that he was underwhelming, but he did what was needed to help lead that team to the College Football Playoffs. He has so many key quality traits, and it has been reported that he is one of the main recruiters for any program that he attends, including the UCLA Bruins, where he has been able to help them reel in some of the better prospects across the nation that were on their recruiting board.

Can UCLA Bruins QB Nico Iamaleava Help Improve Recruiting?

Nico Iamaleavav — Jul 24, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

While he has been a great addition when it comes to trying to land different prospects, he has also been on the worst side of things. He played a factor in a recruitment for the wrong side of things as he was part of the reason that the UCLA Bruins didn't land Oscar Rios, and lost his recruitment battle to the Arizona Wildcats.

The UCLA Bruins are looking to land a quarterback still in the 2026 recruiting class. They have multiple players on the recruiting board. If a 2026 quarterback can see someone like Emily get off to a great start. It'll be safe to say that they will be in great graces when it comes to recruiting the talented prospect.

Nov 23, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster yells at referees during the second quarter against the USC Trojans at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

This will be something that the quarterback position will be eyeing as they will hope to see that someone with the talent to transfer can succeed in the UCLA Bruins system, even early on in their UCLA career.

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