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Jersey Number 9
Nico Iamaleava
- Position:
- Quarterback
- Height:
- 6-6
- Weight:
- 215
- Class:
- Redshirt Sophomore
- Hometown:
- Long Beach, Calif.
- Previous School:
- Warren HS / Tennessee
Career Highlights
โข 2024 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Finalist
โข 2024 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Semifinalist
โข 2024 Citrus Bowl MVP
โข Associated Press National Player of the Week (Oct. 6, 2025)
โข Maxwell Award Player of the Week (Oct. 7, 2025)
โข Walter Camp National FBS Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 7, 2025)
โข Davey OโBrien National Quarterback of the Week (Oct. 7, 2025)
โข 2-time Manning Award QB of the Week (last: Oct. 8, 2025)
โข Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 6, 2025)
โข 2-time Davey OโBrien Award Great 8 List (last: Oct. 6, 2025)
โข 4-time SEC Freshman of the Week (last: Dec. 2, 2024)
โข 2-time SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll recipient (2024, 2023)
ย
Career Summary
Iamaleava has played in 29 games and made 25 starts over three seasons at UCLA (2025) and Tennessee (2023-24) โฆ has completed 449-of-702 pass attempts (64.0%) for 4,858 yards and 34 touchdowns with 12 interceptions in his career โฆ has rushed 241 times for 934 yards and 10 touchdowns โฆ totaled 2,930 passing yards and 21 touchdowns on 241-of-379 passing (64.0%) with five interceptions during his time at Tennessee โฆ rushed for 435 yards on 129 attempts with six touchdowns as a Volunteer โฆ career-long completion in 86 yards, occurring in Week 12 of 2024 at Vanderbilt โฆ career-long rush is 52 yards, coming against Penn State in Week 5 of 2025 โฆ career high in passing yards is 314 set Week 1 in 2024 versus UT-Chattanooga โฆ career-high in passing touchdowns is four set twice in Weeks 11 (UTEP) and 12 (at Vanderbilt) in 2024 โฆ has thrown for 250-plus yards in four contests โฆ has one 100-plus-yard rushing performance (128 vs. Penn State, 2025) โฆ has one multi-rushing TD performance (3 vs. Penn State, 2025) โฆ has totaled six 50-plus-yard completions.
ย
2025
Played and started in 11 games โฆ completed 208-of-323 passes (64.4%) for 1,928 yards and 13 touchdowns with seven interceptions โฆ led UCLA in rushing yards (505), carries (112) and rushing touchdowns (4) for an average of 45.9 rushing yards per game โฆ accounted for 17 of UCLAโs 24 touchdowns โฆ led UCLA with 10 20-plus-yard plays (all rushing) โฆ threw for at least 200 yards in four different contests โฆ UCLAโs leading rusher in a team-high five games โฆ steered UCLA to its first victory over an AP top-10 opponent since 2010 in a 42-37 win over No. 7 Penn State, accounting for a career-high-tying five touchdowns (three rushing, two passing), 166 passing yards and 128 rushing yards (Oct. 4) โฆ rushed for a career-high 128 yards on 16 carries against the Nittany Lions, which were the most by a Bruin QB since Brett Hundley in 2014 โฆ his three rushing touchdowns against Penn State tied a UCLA QB single-game record that was last accomplished by Rick Bashore in 1978 (Gary Beban and John Sciarra also accomplished the feat) โฆ had a career-long 52-yard rush against Penn State โฆ completed 17-of-24 passes for 166 yards with two touchdowns in the Penn State win โฆ the performance earned him national weekly honors from the Associated Press, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Davey OโBrien Award and Manning Award as well as Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week โฆ the next game, completed 16-of-24 passes for 180 yards and a season-high three passing touchdowns in a 38-13 win at Michigan State (Oct. 11) โฆ steered two scoring drives and completed 9-of-15 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter to lead UCLA to a 20-17 win over Maryland on Homecoming (Oct. 18) โฆ finished the Maryland contest completing 21-of-35 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown โฆ completed 17-of-25 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 15 times for 86 yards against Nebraska (Nov. 8) โฆ reached 200 yards passing for the third time this season in the season finale at USC, completing 27-of-38 attempts for one touchdown (Nov. 29) โฆ threw for a season-high 255 yards on 29-for-41 passing with a touchdown at UNLV (Sept. 6)
ย
2024 (Tennessee)
Started all 13 games and led Tennessee to a College Football Playoff appearance with a 10-3 record as a redshirt freshman โฆ was the first Tennessee freshman to lead the program to 10 regular season wins โฆ was the first Tennessee quarterback to win 10 games as the starter since Casey Clausen in 2003 โฆ finalist for Polynesian Player of the Year โฆ named SEC Freshman of the Week four times โฆ completed 213-of-334 passes for 2,616 yards and nine touchdowns with five interceptions โฆ rushed for 364 yards and three scores on 109 attempts โฆ ranked second in the SEC with six 50-plus-yard completions, which also tied for 10th nationally โฆ accounted for 151 yards of total offense and two rushing touchdowns in the CFP First Round at eventual national champion Ohio State (Jan. 21) โฆ posted five games with multiple passing touchdowns โฆ completed 18-of-26 passes for 257 yards and four touchdowns, including a career-long 86-yard completion, in a win at Vanderbilt, earning him a spot on the Davey OโBrien Award Great 8 List for Week 14 (Nov. 30) โฆ posted back-to-back games with four touchdowns versus UTEP (Nov. 23) and at Vanderbilt โฆ completed 17-of-23 passes (73.9%) for 209 yards while rushing for 36 yards against UTEP โฆ completed 20-of-33 passes for 167 yards at Georgia (Nov. 16) โฆ was 8-of-13 passing for 174 yards and two touchdowns in the first half of a win over Mississippi State before missing the second half with an injury (Nov. 9) โฆ posted his highest SEC completion percentage (73.7%) versus Kentucky while setting career highs in completions (28) and pass attempts (38) with 292 yards and one touchdown (Nov. 2) โฆ completed 14-of-27 passes with 194 yards and threw the game-winning 16-yard touchdown with 5:52 left in the fourth quarter to beat Alabama (Oct. 19) โฆ went 16-of-26 passing for 169 yards in a win over Florida (Oct. 12) โฆ in his first career SEC start, completed 13-of-21 passes for 194 yards, including a 66-yard TD completion, to beat Oklahoma on the road (Sept. 21) โฆ was 10-of-16 passing for 173 yards and a 53-yard touchdown in two quarters of action versus Kent State (Sept. 14) โฆ passed for 211 yards and two touchdowns while adding a career-high 65 rushing yards and score on the ground in a win over N.C. State, earning him Manning Award QB of the Week (Sept. 7) โฆ in his first home start, completed 22-of-28 passes for a career-high 314 yards and three touchdowns in the first half of a win versus UT-Chattanooga (Aug. 31) โฆ his 314 yards versus UT-Chattanooga broke the program record for passing yards in a half and marked the fourth total 300-yard performance in a half by a Tennessee QB โฆ earned a spot on the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.
ย
2023 (Tennessee)
Played in five games and made his first career start versus Iowa in the Citrus Bowl (Jan. 1) โฆ served as Tennesseeโs backup quarterback for the regular season and earned a redshirt โฆ finished the year completing 28-of-45 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns with now interceptions โฆ added 71 rushing yards on 20 carries with three scores โฆ thrusted into his first career start for the 2024 Citrus Bowl versus Iowa, leading Tennessee to a 35-0 shutout victory in which he was named MVP โฆ accounted for 178 yards of total offense and four touchdowns against Iowaโs defense โฆ completed 12-of-19 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown while rushing 15 times for 27 yards and three scores on the ground โฆ tied a Tennessee bowl game record with three rushing touchdowns โฆ saw his most extensive action of the regular season versus Vanderbilt, completing 9-of-12 passes for 66 yards in a victory (Nov. 25) โฆ orchestrated two productive drives in a win versus UConn, including an eight-play, 78-yard TD drive in the third quarter that ended in the first touchdown pass of his career (Nov. 4) โฆ finished the game 5-of-9 passing for 86 yards and also had a 25-yard scamper in the win over UConn โฆ completed 2-of-3 pass attempts for 11 yards and added an eight-yard rush while leading a scoring drive in his collegiate debut versus Virginia (Sept. 2) โฆ earned a spot on the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.
ย
High School
Graduated from Warren High School (Downey, Calif.) where he spent his sophomore, junior and senior seasons โฆ also prepped at Long Beach Poly High School (Long Beach, Calif.) as a freshman and spring of his junior year โฆ ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the Class of 2023 by On3 โฆ five-star prospect according to 247Sports and Rivals โฆ four-star prospect according to ESPN โฆ tabbed the No. 2 overall recruit in the nation by Rivals and 247Sports โฆ ranked No. 23 overall in the ESPN300 โฆ named the 2022 Polynesian High School Player of the Year and selected as the Offensive MVP of the Polynesian Bowl โฆ named to the All-CIF DII team in 2021 and 2022 โฆ as a senior in 2022, led Warren High School to a 9-2 record and CIF-Southern Section Division II playoff appearance with 1,986 passing yards and 25 touchdowns on 119-of-199 passing โฆ also rushed for 399 yards and six scores on 46 carries โฆ as a junior in 2021, led Warren to an 8-1 record and a CIF-SS DII playoff appearance with 2,244 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and one interception on 162-of-272 passing โฆ rushed for three touchdowns and 158 yards โฆ coached by Kevin Pearson at Warren โฆ also an elite volleyball player โฆ played one match at Long Beach Poly as a freshman before the COVID-19 shutdown.
ย
Personal
Born Nicholaus Iamaleava Jr. in Long Beach, Calif. โฆ is of Samoan descent โฆ parents are Marleinna and Nicholaus Iamaleava โฆ has seven siblings โฆ brothers are Matt and Madden โฆ sisters are Nicaylah, McKennah, Ninalei, Mallory and Nori โฆ shares the UCLA QB room with Madden โฆ sister, Nicaylah, played volleyball at Cypress College โฆ older brother, Matt, played volleyball at Long Beach State โฆ sociology major โฆ last name is pronounced ee-ah-MAH-LAY-ah-va.
ย
Iamaleavaโs Career Passing Statistics (2023-24 at Tennessee)
Iamaleavaโs Career Rushing Statistics (2023-24 at Tennessee)
โข 2024 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Finalist
โข 2024 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Semifinalist
โข 2024 Citrus Bowl MVP
โข Associated Press National Player of the Week (Oct. 6, 2025)
โข Maxwell Award Player of the Week (Oct. 7, 2025)
โข Walter Camp National FBS Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 7, 2025)
โข Davey OโBrien National Quarterback of the Week (Oct. 7, 2025)
โข 2-time Manning Award QB of the Week (last: Oct. 8, 2025)
โข Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 6, 2025)
โข 2-time Davey OโBrien Award Great 8 List (last: Oct. 6, 2025)
โข 4-time SEC Freshman of the Week (last: Dec. 2, 2024)
โข 2-time SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll recipient (2024, 2023)
ย
Career Summary
Iamaleava has played in 29 games and made 25 starts over three seasons at UCLA (2025) and Tennessee (2023-24) โฆ has completed 449-of-702 pass attempts (64.0%) for 4,858 yards and 34 touchdowns with 12 interceptions in his career โฆ has rushed 241 times for 934 yards and 10 touchdowns โฆ totaled 2,930 passing yards and 21 touchdowns on 241-of-379 passing (64.0%) with five interceptions during his time at Tennessee โฆ rushed for 435 yards on 129 attempts with six touchdowns as a Volunteer โฆ career-long completion in 86 yards, occurring in Week 12 of 2024 at Vanderbilt โฆ career-long rush is 52 yards, coming against Penn State in Week 5 of 2025 โฆ career high in passing yards is 314 set Week 1 in 2024 versus UT-Chattanooga โฆ career-high in passing touchdowns is four set twice in Weeks 11 (UTEP) and 12 (at Vanderbilt) in 2024 โฆ has thrown for 250-plus yards in four contests โฆ has one 100-plus-yard rushing performance (128 vs. Penn State, 2025) โฆ has one multi-rushing TD performance (3 vs. Penn State, 2025) โฆ has totaled six 50-plus-yard completions.
ย
2025
Played and started in 11 games โฆ completed 208-of-323 passes (64.4%) for 1,928 yards and 13 touchdowns with seven interceptions โฆ led UCLA in rushing yards (505), carries (112) and rushing touchdowns (4) for an average of 45.9 rushing yards per game โฆ accounted for 17 of UCLAโs 24 touchdowns โฆ led UCLA with 10 20-plus-yard plays (all rushing) โฆ threw for at least 200 yards in four different contests โฆ UCLAโs leading rusher in a team-high five games โฆ steered UCLA to its first victory over an AP top-10 opponent since 2010 in a 42-37 win over No. 7 Penn State, accounting for a career-high-tying five touchdowns (three rushing, two passing), 166 passing yards and 128 rushing yards (Oct. 4) โฆ rushed for a career-high 128 yards on 16 carries against the Nittany Lions, which were the most by a Bruin QB since Brett Hundley in 2014 โฆ his three rushing touchdowns against Penn State tied a UCLA QB single-game record that was last accomplished by Rick Bashore in 1978 (Gary Beban and John Sciarra also accomplished the feat) โฆ had a career-long 52-yard rush against Penn State โฆ completed 17-of-24 passes for 166 yards with two touchdowns in the Penn State win โฆ the performance earned him national weekly honors from the Associated Press, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Davey OโBrien Award and Manning Award as well as Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week โฆ the next game, completed 16-of-24 passes for 180 yards and a season-high three passing touchdowns in a 38-13 win at Michigan State (Oct. 11) โฆ steered two scoring drives and completed 9-of-15 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter to lead UCLA to a 20-17 win over Maryland on Homecoming (Oct. 18) โฆ finished the Maryland contest completing 21-of-35 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown โฆ completed 17-of-25 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 15 times for 86 yards against Nebraska (Nov. 8) โฆ reached 200 yards passing for the third time this season in the season finale at USC, completing 27-of-38 attempts for one touchdown (Nov. 29) โฆ threw for a season-high 255 yards on 29-for-41 passing with a touchdown at UNLV (Sept. 6)
ย
2024 (Tennessee)
Started all 13 games and led Tennessee to a College Football Playoff appearance with a 10-3 record as a redshirt freshman โฆ was the first Tennessee freshman to lead the program to 10 regular season wins โฆ was the first Tennessee quarterback to win 10 games as the starter since Casey Clausen in 2003 โฆ finalist for Polynesian Player of the Year โฆ named SEC Freshman of the Week four times โฆ completed 213-of-334 passes for 2,616 yards and nine touchdowns with five interceptions โฆ rushed for 364 yards and three scores on 109 attempts โฆ ranked second in the SEC with six 50-plus-yard completions, which also tied for 10th nationally โฆ accounted for 151 yards of total offense and two rushing touchdowns in the CFP First Round at eventual national champion Ohio State (Jan. 21) โฆ posted five games with multiple passing touchdowns โฆ completed 18-of-26 passes for 257 yards and four touchdowns, including a career-long 86-yard completion, in a win at Vanderbilt, earning him a spot on the Davey OโBrien Award Great 8 List for Week 14 (Nov. 30) โฆ posted back-to-back games with four touchdowns versus UTEP (Nov. 23) and at Vanderbilt โฆ completed 17-of-23 passes (73.9%) for 209 yards while rushing for 36 yards against UTEP โฆ completed 20-of-33 passes for 167 yards at Georgia (Nov. 16) โฆ was 8-of-13 passing for 174 yards and two touchdowns in the first half of a win over Mississippi State before missing the second half with an injury (Nov. 9) โฆ posted his highest SEC completion percentage (73.7%) versus Kentucky while setting career highs in completions (28) and pass attempts (38) with 292 yards and one touchdown (Nov. 2) โฆ completed 14-of-27 passes with 194 yards and threw the game-winning 16-yard touchdown with 5:52 left in the fourth quarter to beat Alabama (Oct. 19) โฆ went 16-of-26 passing for 169 yards in a win over Florida (Oct. 12) โฆ in his first career SEC start, completed 13-of-21 passes for 194 yards, including a 66-yard TD completion, to beat Oklahoma on the road (Sept. 21) โฆ was 10-of-16 passing for 173 yards and a 53-yard touchdown in two quarters of action versus Kent State (Sept. 14) โฆ passed for 211 yards and two touchdowns while adding a career-high 65 rushing yards and score on the ground in a win over N.C. State, earning him Manning Award QB of the Week (Sept. 7) โฆ in his first home start, completed 22-of-28 passes for a career-high 314 yards and three touchdowns in the first half of a win versus UT-Chattanooga (Aug. 31) โฆ his 314 yards versus UT-Chattanooga broke the program record for passing yards in a half and marked the fourth total 300-yard performance in a half by a Tennessee QB โฆ earned a spot on the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.
ย
2023 (Tennessee)
Played in five games and made his first career start versus Iowa in the Citrus Bowl (Jan. 1) โฆ served as Tennesseeโs backup quarterback for the regular season and earned a redshirt โฆ finished the year completing 28-of-45 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns with now interceptions โฆ added 71 rushing yards on 20 carries with three scores โฆ thrusted into his first career start for the 2024 Citrus Bowl versus Iowa, leading Tennessee to a 35-0 shutout victory in which he was named MVP โฆ accounted for 178 yards of total offense and four touchdowns against Iowaโs defense โฆ completed 12-of-19 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown while rushing 15 times for 27 yards and three scores on the ground โฆ tied a Tennessee bowl game record with three rushing touchdowns โฆ saw his most extensive action of the regular season versus Vanderbilt, completing 9-of-12 passes for 66 yards in a victory (Nov. 25) โฆ orchestrated two productive drives in a win versus UConn, including an eight-play, 78-yard TD drive in the third quarter that ended in the first touchdown pass of his career (Nov. 4) โฆ finished the game 5-of-9 passing for 86 yards and also had a 25-yard scamper in the win over UConn โฆ completed 2-of-3 pass attempts for 11 yards and added an eight-yard rush while leading a scoring drive in his collegiate debut versus Virginia (Sept. 2) โฆ earned a spot on the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.
ย
High School
Graduated from Warren High School (Downey, Calif.) where he spent his sophomore, junior and senior seasons โฆ also prepped at Long Beach Poly High School (Long Beach, Calif.) as a freshman and spring of his junior year โฆ ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the Class of 2023 by On3 โฆ five-star prospect according to 247Sports and Rivals โฆ four-star prospect according to ESPN โฆ tabbed the No. 2 overall recruit in the nation by Rivals and 247Sports โฆ ranked No. 23 overall in the ESPN300 โฆ named the 2022 Polynesian High School Player of the Year and selected as the Offensive MVP of the Polynesian Bowl โฆ named to the All-CIF DII team in 2021 and 2022 โฆ as a senior in 2022, led Warren High School to a 9-2 record and CIF-Southern Section Division II playoff appearance with 1,986 passing yards and 25 touchdowns on 119-of-199 passing โฆ also rushed for 399 yards and six scores on 46 carries โฆ as a junior in 2021, led Warren to an 8-1 record and a CIF-SS DII playoff appearance with 2,244 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and one interception on 162-of-272 passing โฆ rushed for three touchdowns and 158 yards โฆ coached by Kevin Pearson at Warren โฆ also an elite volleyball player โฆ played one match at Long Beach Poly as a freshman before the COVID-19 shutdown.
ย
Personal
Born Nicholaus Iamaleava Jr. in Long Beach, Calif. โฆ is of Samoan descent โฆ parents are Marleinna and Nicholaus Iamaleava โฆ has seven siblings โฆ brothers are Matt and Madden โฆ sisters are Nicaylah, McKennah, Ninalei, Mallory and Nori โฆ shares the UCLA QB room with Madden โฆ sister, Nicaylah, played volleyball at Cypress College โฆ older brother, Matt, played volleyball at Long Beach State โฆ sociology major โฆ last name is pronounced ee-ah-MAH-LAY-ah-va.
ย
Iamaleavaโs Career Passing Statistics (2023-24 at Tennessee)
| Season | GP-GS | CMP-ATT | INT | YDS | TD | % | AVG/P | AVG/G | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5-1 | 28-45 | 0 | 314 | 2 | 62.2 | 11.2 | 62.8 | 28 |
| 2024 | 13-13 | 213-334 | 5 | 2616 | 19 | 63.8 | 12.3 | 201.2 | 86 |
| 2025 | 11-11 | 208-323 | 7 | 1928 | 13 | 64.4 | 9.3 | 175.3 | 45 |
| Totals | 29-25 | 449-702 | 12 | 4858 | 34 | 64.0 | 10.6 | 173.5 | 86 |
Iamaleavaโs Career Rushing Statistics (2023-24 at Tennessee)
| Season | GP-GS | ATT | YDS | TD | LONG | YPC | YPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5-1 | 20 | 71 | 3 | 25 | 3.6 | 14.2 |
| 2024 | 13-13 | 109 | 364 | 3 | 31 | 3.3 | 28.0 |
| 2025 | 11-11 | 112 | 505 | 4 | 52 | 4.5 | 45.9 |
| Totals | 29-25 | 241 | 934 | 10 | 52 | 3.9 | 32.2 |
The First 48 Hours - Head Coach Bob Chesney Welcomed at UCLA
Friday, December 12
Bruin Insider Show - Bob Chesney (Dec. 10, 2025)
Wednesday, December 10
Cinematic Recap - UCLA Introduces Head Coach Bob Chesney (Dec. 9, 2025)
Tuesday, December 09
Bob Chesney Introductory Press Conference (Dec. 9, 2025)
Tuesday, December 09
