Why Nico Iamaleava is College Football's Most Fascinating Player

UCLA's star quarterback will have a lot of eyes on him this season.

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

Ahead of the 2025 college football season, no player has quite as many eyes on him as UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

FOX Sports personality Colin Cowherd, while appearing in a guest spot for The Joel Klatt Show, had a ton of thoughts on Iamaleava and deemed him the most interesting player in college football.

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, fascinating," Cowherd said. "I've said pageant mom has become quarterback dad. Like it's the same thing. You're squeezing so hard, you're hurting your kid. It’s just off-balance, it’s the parent getting too close.

"He shouldn’t have left Tennessee. They have better players; you’re going to face more NFL bodies in that schedule compared to UCLA’s this year, whatever. But he is good. And he is kind of what the NFL is looking for."

Iamaleava is projected to be an NFL talent by the end of this season. Something he has detailed is his goal in his first season in Westwood. Cowherd disagreed with the redshirt sophomore's decision to leave the Vols, but he marveled at the prospect of Iamaleava hitting as yet another NFL-level quarterback in this upcoming draft class.

"I watched Tennessee play a couple times last year, and I’m like, ‘This kid’s going to be good. He’s not there.’ Like Drew Allar, by the way, who popped last year, like, ‘Oh, that’s an NFL quarterback.’ I don’t think he’s going to win a lot of games at UCLA. But if he hits, if you and I go, ‘Yeah, that’s an NFL quarterback,’ we’re going to have [Garrett] Nussmeier, Cade Klubnik, Drew Allar, Arch Manning, maybe [LaNorris Sellers], I have to watch him more. I only watched him like once last year. If this kid pops, I mean keep your eye on UCLA’s quarterback."

Iamaleava Snubbed from ESPN Top 100

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

Iamaleava is one of the more polarizing players in college football. And with that comes many doubts.

For instance, ESPN released a list of its top 100 players in college football and Iamaleava didn't make the cut.

The list included 17 quarterbacks across the nation, with the likes of Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia, Iowa State's Rocco Becht and Kansas State's Avery Johnson all sitting above the top 75.

Many of the signal-callers on the list are juniors and seniors, but even sophomores like Florida's DJ Lagway, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers and Texas' Arch Manning sit within the top 25.

Iamaleava still may have something to prove, but his being snubbed from this list is surely questionable, considering the redshirt freshman season he had with Tennessee last season. In fact, another media outlet deems Iamaleava worthy of being one of college football's best players.

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