Nico Iamaleava Has ‘NFL Tools’ To Lead UCLA This Season

People may be underrating the Bruins' star quarterback ahead of the college football 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

Despite coming into the 2025 college football season as one of the most talked-about names in the sport, UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava tends to be underrated in national media circles.

Chip Patterson, CBS Sports college football insider and co-host of the Cover 3 Podcast, however, thinks Iamaleava will be the reason the Bruins can win up to eight games this season.

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava during Tennessee's game against Chattanooga in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. | Brianna Paciorka / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I'm going to be going over 5.5 [wins] here," Patterson said of UCLA's projected win total. "I am buying the narrative that this team that did get so much better throughout the season, and now added a player with first-round NFL Draft tools. ... Look at the size difference in the quarterbacks we talked to [at Big Ten Media Days]. There are some quarterbacks that are large, and there are some quarterbacks that are not.

"And Nico is on the large end. He had his hands on his knees, and those things were, like, enveloping- I think he could wrap his full hand around my thigh, I'm pretty sure. He's got all the tools. First-round NFL Draft, there's a reason why he's got that, why he was a five-star player coming out of high school. You add that to a team that went 5-7 a year ago, I think that they can get that extra win."

Iamaleava's Ranking Among All CFB Players

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) looks for an open receiver during 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

The Tennessee transfer quarterback made waves in the college football landscape when he left the Vols after a NIL dispute and made his way back to Southern California to be Westwood's main guy. That being said, Iamaleava is finding himself in conversations no Bruin has been in for a few seasons.

On3's Clark Brooks released a list of the Top 100 players in college football ahead of the season, and Iamaleava made the list, which is headlined by the likes of Caleb Downs, Dylan Stewart and Jeremiah Smith.

Brooks listed Iamaleava as the 86th-ranked player in the nation, and the 10th-ranked quarterback behind John Mateer, Cade Klubnik and Carson Beck, just to name a few.

Despite regularly being underrated as a team, UCLA and Iamaleava have some expectations ahead of them this season. Following a quality redshirt freshman season with the Vols, natural progression and a fresh start are among the many signs pointing towards Iamaleava having a stellar year in Westwood.

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