UCLA’s Offense Primed To Sit Atop Big Ten

There shouldn't be a ceiling placed on the Bruins' revamped offense this season.

Nov 30, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster greets quarterback Ethan Garbers (4) during the third quarter against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Following an offseason filled with turnover in nearly every aspect of the football program, UCLA is looking to build off last season's strong finish, and it starts with the offense.

The Bruins' offense underwent the most dramatic change this year, bringing in star quarterback Nico Iamaleava from Tennessee and pairing him with one of the young, rising offensive minds in Tino Sunseri from Indiana.

Indiana Quarterback Coach Tino Sunseri before the start of the Indiana versus Michigan football game at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Nov. 9, 2024. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Those two additions alone raise the ceiling in Westwood, according to Yogi Roth during his preview of the Bruins on the Big Ten Network's behind-the-scenes of UCLA's training camp.

"Nico Iamaleava is one of the top QBs in the country, point blank," Roth said. "He can make every throw. He's a dual-threat quarterback. He's played in huge games, I mean, he played in the College Football Playoff in Columbus against Ohio State. He played in the vaunted SEC. He's able to navigate so many things at that position, and then you add in what Tino [Sunseri] has done.

"I got to sit in a quarterback meeting earlier this morning; these two are dialed. I can't wait to watch them. So, I'm not putting a ceiling on it. There's no reason why this offense can't be one of the tops in the Big Ten."

One of the hottest topics out of UCLA's fall camp has been the mutualistic Sunseri-Iamaleava relationship and how it's changed the signal-caller as a player, revealing things Iamaleava had never known before.

Sunseri Taught Iamaleava More Football Than Ever Before

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

Iamaleava sat down with Roth and Ashley Adamson at UCLA's fall camp and talked about his relationship with Sunseri.

"Man, I've learned so much football since I've gotten here with coach Tino," Iamaleava said. "I thought I knew football, but he opened my eyes to a whole new avenue, and I think it's just continuing to help my growth and I've been getting real comfortable with the offense."

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