Saturday, August 30
Pasadena, CA
8:00 PM (PT)
UCLA
vs
Utah
OL Garrett DiGiorgio
Photo by: Ross Turteltaub
Football Hosts Utah in Season Opener Saturday
August 26, 2025 | Football
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Rose Bowl Stadium
Kickoff Time: 8:05 p.m. (PT)
Television: FOX
TV Talent: Connor Onion (play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (analyst)
Local Radio (UCLA Bruins Audio Network): AM 790
Local Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Matt Stevens (analyst), Wayne Cook (sideline)
SiriusXM: Ch. 83
Game Notes: PDF
ย
THE MATCHUP
The UCLA football program begins its second year with head coach DeShaun Foster at the helm when it welcomes Utah to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Saturday evening. The season-opening contest between the Bruins (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten) and Utes (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) will be televised on FOX, beginning at 8 p.m. (PT). Fans can tune their radio stations to KABC-AM 790, which will serve as the new exclusive home for UCLA Athletics, and listen to longtime play-by-play announcer Josh Lewin and former UCLA quarterbacks Matt Stevens (analyst) and Wayne Cook (sideline reporter) on the call.
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UCLA and Utah will be meeting for the 22nd time in series history and first as members of different conferences since the 2007 season. The Bruins prevailed with a 42-32 victory in their most recent home matchup versus the Utes at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 8, 2022. UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson put forth one of the most efficient outings of his career, completing 18-of-23 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Bruins to a win over then-No. 11 Utah.
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KEY NOTES ON UCLA
โข UCLA's 2025 roster will list 57 new names (36 transfers, 21 true freshmen) for its most since at least the 2012 season. Players from three different position groups โ quarterbacks, running backs and defensive backs โ have not started a game for UCLA. Four Bruins have started at least 10 career games at UCLA: OL Garrett DiGiorgio (38 starts), DL Keanu Williams (12), LB JonJon Vaughns (12) and WR Titus Mokiao-Atimalala (10).
โข UCLA returns four players on offense and two players on defense who started a minimum of seven games last year: OL Garrett DiGiorgio (11 starts), OL Sam Yoon (8), WR Kwazi Gilmer (7), WR Titus Mokiao-Atimalala (7), DL Devin Aupiu (8) and DL Siale Taupaki (7).
โข The Bruins' offseason was highlighted by the transfer portal addition of redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava who spent the previous two seasons at Tennessee. The Long Beach, Calif. native returns home after leading the Volunteers to an 11-3 record as the starting quarterback and a College Football Playoff (CFP) appearance in 2024. Iamaleava finished last season completing 213-of-334 passes (63.8%) for 2,616 yards (201.2 yards per game) and 19 touchdowns with five interceptions. He totaled 299-plus yards of total offense in three contests against UT-Chattanooga (320), Kentucky (306) and Vanderbilt (299). A master of the deep ball, Iamaleava ranked second in the Southeastern Conference with six 50-plus-yard completions last season.
โข QB Nico Iamaleava was tabbed to five preseason watch lists in anticipation of his first game as a Bruin: Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year, Davey O'Brien Quarterback of the Year, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and Polynesian Player of the Year.
โข Eight new assistants joined Coach Foster's second-year staff. Among those newcomers was offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri who arrives at UCLA after helping Indiana to 11 wins for the first time in program history, a CFP appearance and the nation's second-ranked scoring offense (41.3 points per game) in his role as co-offensive coordinator. The Hoosiers also finished second in FBS with a 174.03 passing efficiency with Sunseri on the offensive staff.
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2024 IN REVIEW
โข In a season of firsts, UCLA went 5-7 overall with a 3-6 conference record in DeShaun Foster's debut as head coach of his alma mater. The Bruins, who were playing their first season in the coast-to-coast Big Ten Conference, were spurred by a three-game winning streak that featured road conference wins over Rutgers (35-32) and Nebraska (27-20) and a dominant home victory over Iowa. UCLA concluded the season on a high note by winning four of its last six games.
โข Foster secured the first win of his head coaching career in his first game with a 16-13 victory over Hawai'i at Clarence T.C. Ching Complex in Honolulu in Week 1. Then-sophomore kicker Mateen Bhaghani drilled the game-winning 32-yard field goal in the final minute to lift the Bruins to victory.
โข Foster and UCLA's first-ever Big Ten Conference win came in a 35-32 decision on the road at Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J. in Week 7. Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers recorded a career-high 383 passing yards with four touchdowns through the air.
โข First-year UCLA defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe produced the sixth-ranked rushing defensive in the nation, holding opponents to 96.2 yards on the ground per game. Four members of the Bruins' front seven โ linebackers Carson Schwesinger and Kain Medrano, defensive tackle Jay Toia and edge Oluwafemi Oladejo โ were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Under Malloe in his role as the defensive line coach last year, the Bruins finished second in the nation in rushing defense, giving up 80.8 rushing yards per game to opponents in 2023.
โข Redshirt junior linebacker Carson Schwesinger, a former walk-on, had a breakout season as one of the most dominant and instinctive defensive players in the country, leading the FBS in solo tackles (90) and Big Ten in total tackles (136). Schwesinger was named a finalist for the Butkus Award and semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy in addition to earning Associated Press First Team All-America honors. In April, Schwesinger was selected with the first pick of the second round (33rd overall) by the Cleveland Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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NOTES ON NICO
โข Redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava officially signed with UCLA out of the transfer portal on April 20 after spending the previous two seasons at Tennessee. The Long Beach, Calif. native returns home after leading the Volunteers to an 11-3 record as the starting quarterback and a College Football Playoff (CFP) appearance in 2024.
โข Iamaleava was named to five 2025 preseason watch lists in anticipation of his first game in a Bruins uniform: Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year, Davey O'Brien Quarterback of the Year, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and Polynesian Player of the Year.
โข Iamaleava finished last season completing 213-of-334 passes (63.8%) for 2,616 yards (201.2 yards per game) and 19 touchdowns with five interceptions. He totaled 299-plus yards of total offense in three contests against UT-Chattanooga (320), Kentucky (306) and Vanderbilt (299).
โข Of Samoan descent, Iamaleava was tabbed as a 2024 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Finalist during his breakout redshirt freshman season. Also on the awards circuit, Iamaleava hauled in four SEC Freshman of the Week awards.
โข Iamaleava became the first Tennessee freshman to lead the program to 10 regular season wins and the first Tennessee quarterback, regardless of class, to win 10 games since Casey Clausen in 2003.
โข Iamaleava ranked second in the Southeastern Conference with six 50-plus-yard completions last season. He posted a career-long completion of 86 yards in the final week of the 2024 season at Vanderbilt.
โข Iamaleava accounted for a career-high 314 yards through the air on 22-of-28 passing with three touchdowns โ all coming in the first half โ in Tennessee's 2024 season opener versus UT-Chattanooga. His 314 yards broke the program record for passing yards in a half and marked the fourth total 300-yard performance by a Volunteers quarterback.
โข Iamaleava tossed a career-high four passing touchdowns on two occasions last season in Weeks 11 (UTEP) and 12 (Vanderbilt). He threw for multiple touchdowns in five games in his Tennessee career, all of which came in 2024.
โข Iamaleava enters 2025 having totaled 2,930 passing yards and 21 touchdowns on 241-of-379 passing (64.0%) over his 18 games at Tennessee.
โข Iamaleava was thrusted into his first career start as a true freshman versus Iowa in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2024, leading Tennessee to a 35-0 shutout victory in which he was named MVP. He accounted for 178 yards of total offense and four touchdowns (three rushing, one passing) against Iowa's staunch defense.
โข Iamaleava, a graduate of Warren High School, was listed as the No. 1 overall player in the Class of 2023 by On3 and No. 2 overall by Rivals and 247Sports. He was honored as the 2022 Polynesian High School Player of the Year after leading Warren to a 9-2 record and CIF-SS Division II playoff appearance in the final season of his prep career.
โข Iamaleava is set to be the 30th different UCLA quarterback to start a game under center since 1990. The Bruins have gone 14-15 in the previous 29 contests.
TICKETS TO UCLA HOME GAMES AT THE ROSE BOWL
Various ticket packages, including season, mini-plan and single-game tickets, for the Bruins' inaugural Big Ten season are now available. Fans can clickย HEREย or contact UCLA Athletics Sales and Service at (310) 206-5991 or via emailย at tickets@athletics.ucla.edu for more information on personalized ticket options.
Sign up for UCLA Athletics emailsย HEREย to stay up-to-date on inside information, ticket deals and more.
ย
Venue: Rose Bowl Stadium
Kickoff Time: 8:05 p.m. (PT)
Television: FOX
TV Talent: Connor Onion (play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (analyst)
Local Radio (UCLA Bruins Audio Network): AM 790
Local Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Matt Stevens (analyst), Wayne Cook (sideline)
SiriusXM: Ch. 83
Game Notes: PDF
ย
THE MATCHUP
The UCLA football program begins its second year with head coach DeShaun Foster at the helm when it welcomes Utah to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Saturday evening. The season-opening contest between the Bruins (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten) and Utes (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) will be televised on FOX, beginning at 8 p.m. (PT). Fans can tune their radio stations to KABC-AM 790, which will serve as the new exclusive home for UCLA Athletics, and listen to longtime play-by-play announcer Josh Lewin and former UCLA quarterbacks Matt Stevens (analyst) and Wayne Cook (sideline reporter) on the call.
ย
UCLA and Utah will be meeting for the 22nd time in series history and first as members of different conferences since the 2007 season. The Bruins prevailed with a 42-32 victory in their most recent home matchup versus the Utes at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 8, 2022. UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson put forth one of the most efficient outings of his career, completing 18-of-23 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Bruins to a win over then-No. 11 Utah.
ย
KEY NOTES ON UCLA
โข UCLA's 2025 roster will list 57 new names (36 transfers, 21 true freshmen) for its most since at least the 2012 season. Players from three different position groups โ quarterbacks, running backs and defensive backs โ have not started a game for UCLA. Four Bruins have started at least 10 career games at UCLA: OL Garrett DiGiorgio (38 starts), DL Keanu Williams (12), LB JonJon Vaughns (12) and WR Titus Mokiao-Atimalala (10).
โข UCLA returns four players on offense and two players on defense who started a minimum of seven games last year: OL Garrett DiGiorgio (11 starts), OL Sam Yoon (8), WR Kwazi Gilmer (7), WR Titus Mokiao-Atimalala (7), DL Devin Aupiu (8) and DL Siale Taupaki (7).
โข The Bruins' offseason was highlighted by the transfer portal addition of redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava who spent the previous two seasons at Tennessee. The Long Beach, Calif. native returns home after leading the Volunteers to an 11-3 record as the starting quarterback and a College Football Playoff (CFP) appearance in 2024. Iamaleava finished last season completing 213-of-334 passes (63.8%) for 2,616 yards (201.2 yards per game) and 19 touchdowns with five interceptions. He totaled 299-plus yards of total offense in three contests against UT-Chattanooga (320), Kentucky (306) and Vanderbilt (299). A master of the deep ball, Iamaleava ranked second in the Southeastern Conference with six 50-plus-yard completions last season.
โข QB Nico Iamaleava was tabbed to five preseason watch lists in anticipation of his first game as a Bruin: Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year, Davey O'Brien Quarterback of the Year, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and Polynesian Player of the Year.
โข Eight new assistants joined Coach Foster's second-year staff. Among those newcomers was offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri who arrives at UCLA after helping Indiana to 11 wins for the first time in program history, a CFP appearance and the nation's second-ranked scoring offense (41.3 points per game) in his role as co-offensive coordinator. The Hoosiers also finished second in FBS with a 174.03 passing efficiency with Sunseri on the offensive staff.
ย
2024 IN REVIEW
โข In a season of firsts, UCLA went 5-7 overall with a 3-6 conference record in DeShaun Foster's debut as head coach of his alma mater. The Bruins, who were playing their first season in the coast-to-coast Big Ten Conference, were spurred by a three-game winning streak that featured road conference wins over Rutgers (35-32) and Nebraska (27-20) and a dominant home victory over Iowa. UCLA concluded the season on a high note by winning four of its last six games.
โข Foster secured the first win of his head coaching career in his first game with a 16-13 victory over Hawai'i at Clarence T.C. Ching Complex in Honolulu in Week 1. Then-sophomore kicker Mateen Bhaghani drilled the game-winning 32-yard field goal in the final minute to lift the Bruins to victory.
โข Foster and UCLA's first-ever Big Ten Conference win came in a 35-32 decision on the road at Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J. in Week 7. Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers recorded a career-high 383 passing yards with four touchdowns through the air.
โข First-year UCLA defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe produced the sixth-ranked rushing defensive in the nation, holding opponents to 96.2 yards on the ground per game. Four members of the Bruins' front seven โ linebackers Carson Schwesinger and Kain Medrano, defensive tackle Jay Toia and edge Oluwafemi Oladejo โ were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Under Malloe in his role as the defensive line coach last year, the Bruins finished second in the nation in rushing defense, giving up 80.8 rushing yards per game to opponents in 2023.
โข Redshirt junior linebacker Carson Schwesinger, a former walk-on, had a breakout season as one of the most dominant and instinctive defensive players in the country, leading the FBS in solo tackles (90) and Big Ten in total tackles (136). Schwesinger was named a finalist for the Butkus Award and semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy in addition to earning Associated Press First Team All-America honors. In April, Schwesinger was selected with the first pick of the second round (33rd overall) by the Cleveland Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft.
ย
NOTES ON NICO
โข Redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava officially signed with UCLA out of the transfer portal on April 20 after spending the previous two seasons at Tennessee. The Long Beach, Calif. native returns home after leading the Volunteers to an 11-3 record as the starting quarterback and a College Football Playoff (CFP) appearance in 2024.
โข Iamaleava was named to five 2025 preseason watch lists in anticipation of his first game in a Bruins uniform: Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year, Davey O'Brien Quarterback of the Year, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and Polynesian Player of the Year.
โข Iamaleava finished last season completing 213-of-334 passes (63.8%) for 2,616 yards (201.2 yards per game) and 19 touchdowns with five interceptions. He totaled 299-plus yards of total offense in three contests against UT-Chattanooga (320), Kentucky (306) and Vanderbilt (299).
โข Of Samoan descent, Iamaleava was tabbed as a 2024 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Finalist during his breakout redshirt freshman season. Also on the awards circuit, Iamaleava hauled in four SEC Freshman of the Week awards.
โข Iamaleava became the first Tennessee freshman to lead the program to 10 regular season wins and the first Tennessee quarterback, regardless of class, to win 10 games since Casey Clausen in 2003.
โข Iamaleava ranked second in the Southeastern Conference with six 50-plus-yard completions last season. He posted a career-long completion of 86 yards in the final week of the 2024 season at Vanderbilt.
โข Iamaleava accounted for a career-high 314 yards through the air on 22-of-28 passing with three touchdowns โ all coming in the first half โ in Tennessee's 2024 season opener versus UT-Chattanooga. His 314 yards broke the program record for passing yards in a half and marked the fourth total 300-yard performance by a Volunteers quarterback.
โข Iamaleava tossed a career-high four passing touchdowns on two occasions last season in Weeks 11 (UTEP) and 12 (Vanderbilt). He threw for multiple touchdowns in five games in his Tennessee career, all of which came in 2024.
โข Iamaleava enters 2025 having totaled 2,930 passing yards and 21 touchdowns on 241-of-379 passing (64.0%) over his 18 games at Tennessee.
โข Iamaleava was thrusted into his first career start as a true freshman versus Iowa in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2024, leading Tennessee to a 35-0 shutout victory in which he was named MVP. He accounted for 178 yards of total offense and four touchdowns (three rushing, one passing) against Iowa's staunch defense.
โข Iamaleava, a graduate of Warren High School, was listed as the No. 1 overall player in the Class of 2023 by On3 and No. 2 overall by Rivals and 247Sports. He was honored as the 2022 Polynesian High School Player of the Year after leading Warren to a 9-2 record and CIF-SS Division II playoff appearance in the final season of his prep career.
โข Iamaleava is set to be the 30th different UCLA quarterback to start a game under center since 1990. The Bruins have gone 14-15 in the previous 29 contests.
TICKETS TO UCLA HOME GAMES AT THE ROSE BOWL
Various ticket packages, including season, mini-plan and single-game tickets, for the Bruins' inaugural Big Ten season are now available. Fans can clickย HEREย or contact UCLA Athletics Sales and Service at (310) 206-5991 or via emailย at tickets@athletics.ucla.edu for more information on personalized ticket options.
Sign up for UCLA Athletics emailsย HEREย to stay up-to-date on inside information, ticket deals and more.
ย
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