Nico Iamaleava Stacks Up Well in Big Ten

In Nico's first year in the Big Ten, how well does he stack up against the other quarterbacks?

Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) throws during the second half of the College Football Playoff first round game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Dec. 22, 2024. Ohio State won 42-17. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nico Iamaleava was one of the 2024 most significant portal moves. He played for Tennessee his Freshman year, then shocked everyone by transferring to the UCLA Bruins. Going from the SEC to the Big Ten isn't a significant skill gap, if one at all.

In his tenure with the Volunteers, he had some solid numbers. Iamaleava put up 2,616 yards along with 19 touchdowns. These stats don't blow you out of the water, but they do provide fans and critics with a solid basis for evaluating him as a quarterback. Very few freshman quarterbacks come in their first year on a top 25 team and become the offense. For Iamaleava to join a prestigious program like Tennessee is impressive in itself.

The reason Iamaleava was able to come in and start at a school was his talent coming out of high school. Iamaleava was a 5-star recruit and predicted to be one of the best in the nation. His first year in the league is promising and will set a bar for his improvements, given that he has switched teams and offensive schemes.

Head To Head

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel turns to quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) after their post game interview after winning the Citrus Bowl NCAA College football game on Monday, January 1, 2024 in Orlando, Fla. against Iowa. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UCLA coach DeShaun Foster knows he has something special in his roster. His former quarterback, Ethan Garbers, was perfect for them and was always reliable, but now he has a former five-star quarterback on his hands to develop. Many fans hope that, year by year, Iamaleava's talent will jump.

One of the quarterbacks that Iamaleava will face will be a tested player in Drew Allar. Drew Allar led the Nittany Lions ' star-studded defense to the 2nd round of the college football playoffs. Allar, expected to declare for the draft after this season, put up an impressive 2024 season. Allar threw for 3,327 yards along with 24 touchdowns.

Another quarterback Iamaleava will be seeing head-to-head will be MSU's Aiden Chiles. Chiles transferred and played solidly for the Spartans last season, leading them one win away from a bowl game. For the Spartans to reach a bowl game, they will likely need to beat UCLA, and it'll come down to which quarterback plays better. Aiden Chiles, last season, threw almost the exact numbers as Iamaleava; he threw for 2,724 yards with 17 touchdowns.

The last quarterback Iamaleava needs to outplay to help the Bruins win is the talented Dylan Raiola from Nebraska. Raiola in 2024 in 13 games threw 2,819 yards and 13 touchdowns. Nebraska finished record wise near UCLA and they would be a crucial win for the Bruins to pick up during conference play.