Rhule Praises UCLA's Nico Iamaleava Ahead of Rose Bowl Clash

The Bruins' quarterback hasn't had the best couple of weeks, but he's still the No. 1 priority on Nebraska's scouting report.

UCLA's Nico Iamaleava throws a pass against Michigan State during the third quarter on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UCLA Bruins star quarterback Nico Iamaleava has had a forgettable past two games against Maryland and No. 2 Indiana, but that doesn't change what opposing coaches think about him.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule detailed what he's seen in the redshirt sophomore this season and didn't hold back on how special he thinks Iamaleava is.

• "Yeah, he's elite. He's an excellent player," Rhule said during his Monday media availability. "He leads them in passing and he leads them in rushing. It's really a tale of two seasons. Take out the first part of the year, they're 3-2 in the Big Ten. They're 3-2 under coach Skipper.

• "The Penn State game he was their leading rusher. He willed them. It was really not even designed runs. It was drop back quarterback scrambles. I wouldn't say he's an undisciplined passer, he's just that athletic. They were running him through designed quarterback runs earlier, he started getting hit a lot.

Indiana's Tyrique Tucker (95) sacks UCLA's Nico Iamaleava (9) during the Indiana versus UCLA football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-TImes / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

• "I'm sure, coming off a bye, there'll be some designed quarterback runs. I have the utmost respect for him as a player. His dad was here this summer at the Adidas 7-on-7, great guy to get to know. We recruited his younger brother. I have a lot of respect for the way he plays. They've got receivers who can get open, they've got an excellent run game, they've got a good, athletic defense, but he's an elite player."

Iamaleava Going Into Nebraska Clash

Last week's 56-6 loss to Indiana was Iamaleava's worst game of the season. He finished with 113 yards on 13-of-27 passing for two interceptions. This marks consecutive games where Iamaleava has thrown two interceptions.

On the season he's thrown for 1,468 yards on 63.2% completion percentage for just 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Iamaleava remains UCLA's leading rusher, scrambling for 388 yards on 81 carries. He's been sacked 43 times. The redshirt sophomore has a season quarterback rating of 124.1.

UCLA's Nico Iamaleava warms up before the football game against Michigan State on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On the other side of the field, Iamaleava is matched up against true freshman backup quarterack TJ Lateef.

In three appearances this season, Lateef has completed 16 of 19 passes for 261 yards and one touchdown. In his college football debut against Akron, he tossed for 128 yards on 6-of-7 passing. A week later, he appeared against Houston Christian and complete all five of his pass attempts for 126 yards and a touchdown. Coming in for Raiola against USC, he was 5-for-7 for just seven yards.

Sep 13, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback TJ Lateef (14) scrambles against Houston Christian Huskies linebacker Mike Sylvalie (25) during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

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