Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-24@ California | 14/22 | 184 | 0 | 1 | 8.4 | 52.4 | Season-high 184 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 28-10vs San Diego State | 14/22 | 151 | 0 | 1 | 6.9 | 31.0 | |
| Total | 28/44 | 335 | 0 | 2 | 7.7 | 41.7 |
#9
Nico Iamaleava
Nico Iamaleava was the face of the NIL era's ugliest divorce -- a contract fight that ended with him leaving Tennessee for UCLA. Then the Bruins went 3-9. He could have left again. Instead he's running it back to prove the talent was always real.
6′5″ · 215 lb · Long Beach, CA · Warren HS / Tennessee
CFB Index 37 · #103 of 146 QBsHigh confidenceReturning to UCLA for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
335
passing yards · 2026
2 INT · 7.6 per attempt
2 games into 2026 so far -- Backed by 16 car · 128 yds · 3 TD -- top 1% rushing TDs game. -- Best game: 184 pass yds, 1 INT, 29 rush yds, at California
The play that turned itSwung UCLA from 50% to 83% to win.Maryland at UCLA · 20-17
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Nico Iamaleava was the face of the NIL era's ugliest divorce -- a contract fight that ended with him leaving Tennessee for UCLA. Then the Bruins went 3-9. He could have left again. Instead he's running it back to prove the talent was always real.
- Signed as a 5-star recruit to Tennessee in 2023.
- Transferred from Tennessee to UCLA in 2025.
- UCLA names permanent captains (Sep 3)
Aura™ · Him Watch
Aura tax
+50aura tax
Fans rank this player in the 74th percentile of QBs; the tape says
24th pctl our passing-value metric (wEPA) QBs · 160 qualified, n=153
— more hype than the tape.Aura — fan perception74th pctl
Production — on-field24th pctl
n=153 mentions · cohort: QBs · 160 qualified · perception = conversation volume, production = our passing-value metric (wEPA)
Buzz vs Tape
Attention percentile: 75th · Production percentile: 24th
He's mentioned more than 75% of qualified QBs this season, but his production sits in just the 24th percentile — a gap of 51 points between volume and tape.
75thattention percentile · vs QBs
24thproduction percentile · vs QBs
Also worth knowing:
In Their Words
193 windows · 2026 fan posts
nico×321.5chesney×281.7bob×268.9ucla×48.3
“UCLA's Bob Chesney says quarterback Nico Iamaleava wanted to stay in Westwood.”
bluesky_curated · fan post, verbatim
The story
The saga is the part everyone knows: a spring-2025 standoff over his deal at Tennessee, a skipped practice, a coach "moving on," the portal, and a landing at UCLA inside of a week. The football got buried under it. In 2025 he threw for 1,928 yards with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions, completed 64 percent, and led the Bruins in rushing with 505 yards -- including a five-touchdown night in a 42-37 upset of seventh-ranked Penn State -- on a team that still finished 3-9. He forwent the 2026 draft to come back under a new staff, betting on himself a second time. The forward stakes are whether the most-scrutinized quarterback in college football can finally turn five-star traits into steady, in-structure production. Get there, and the redemption arc lands and the draft stock follows. Don't, and the saga stays the story.
His career
He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.
Iamaleava is a dynamic athlete with a big arm and a production gap, and the data tells the same story the scouts do. As a runner he's elite -- our play-by-play puts his EPA per carry in the 98th percentile and his explosive-run rate in the 97th, top-end quarterback speed on designed runs and scrambles. As a passer he's been ordinary: an 18th-percentile EPA per dropback and an 11th-percentile average depth of target -- a lot of short, safe throws. Draft evaluators (The Draft Network) credit "prototypical" arm talent and high-velocity throws into tight windows, but flag that he "missed too many shots downfield" and can "lock onto his primary read" rather than progress -- best improvising, a work in progress within structure. The frame is the whole career: the tools are real, the in-rhythm passing is the unfinished part.
Written by our staff.
20235 games
- Signed with Tennessee5-star out of Warren
202511 games
The role got bigger.
- Entered the portal
- All-Big Ten
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Badges
- Top-10 Recruit
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
4 coachesPlayed under 4 different head coaches: Chip Kelly, Deshaun Foster, Tim Skipper, and Bob Chesney. Multi-era developmental context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Tennessee9-4HC: Josh Heupel · Run-leaning
2024Tennessee10-3HC: Josh Heupel · Run-heavy
2025UCLA3-9HC: Tim Skipper · Balanced, slow tempo
2026UCLA2-0HC: Bob Chesney · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidenceFading
Elite: fumbles lost (91st percentile). Concern: pass yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (8)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 168 YDS/g, 0.0 TD/g, 7.7 YPA, 1.0 INT/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bob Chesney
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #16 of 19 Big Ten QBs
How the All-Big Ten estimate is computed
22% estimated, 95% confidence interval 19–25%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 28–10
151 yds · 0 TD · 1 INT · QBR 31.0 · 57 rush yds (13 car)
With C. Gerrand — 49 AVG · 2 IN 20 · 55 LONG · S. Morgan — 6 rec · 73 yds
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · California · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA -4.46(00:54) Shotgun #9 N.Iamaleava pass intercepted by #2 K.Lopa at CAL13 #2 K.Lopa return 0 yards to the CAL13
- Week 2 · San Diego State · 3&2 · Q2 · EPA -4.46(09:25) Shotgun #9 N.Iamaleava pass intercepted by #27 M.Lindsay at SDSU00 #27 M.Lindsay return 2 yards to the SDSU02 (#85 B.Loftin)
- Week 2 · San Diego State · 2&8 · Q2 · EPA +3.47(12:06) Shotgun #9 N.Iamaleava pass complete short left to #2 B.Rowe Jr. caught at UCLA41, for 45 yards to the SDSU21 (#29 J.Hunter), 1ST DOWN. #2 B.Rowe Jr. injured on the play
- Week 1 · California · 3&13 · Q2 · EPA +3.24(06:26) Shotgun #9 N.Iamaleava pass complete short right to #11 L.Ellis caught at CAL35, for 20 yards to the CAL26 (#9 A.Tuitele; #3 K.Mothudi), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · San Diego State · 2&8 · Q4 · EPA +2.95(10:26) Shotgun #9 N.Iamaleava pass complete deep right to #4 S.Morgan caught at SDSU35, for 31 yards to the SDSU31 (#14 I.Green), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · California · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +2.79(08:10) Shotgun #9 N.Iamaleava pass complete deep right to #7 M.Matthews caught at CAL45, for 33 yards to the CAL43 (#24 Q.Shemwell), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · California · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +2.43(00:06) Shotgun #9 N.Iamaleava pass complete deep middle to #7 M.Matthews caught at CAL20, for 43 yards to the CAL20, End Of Play, 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · California · 1&9 · Q1 · EPA +2.42(07:04) Shotgun #9 N.Iamaleava rush right for 9 yards gain to the CAL00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 07:00 #15 M.Bhaghani kick attempt good (H: #45 C.Barry, LS: #44 G.Cereghino)
- Week 1 · California · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA -1.99(02:48) Shotgun #9 N.Iamaleava sacked for loss of 4 yards to the CLA43 (#98 N.Burrell)
- Week 1 · California · 3&6 · Q3 · EPA -1.83(13:07) Shotgun #9 N.Iamaleava sacked for loss of 8 yards to the CLA45 (#7 D.Harris)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Iamaleava is a dynamic athlete with a big arm and a production gap, and the data tells the same story the scouts do. As a runner he's elite -- our play-by-play puts his EPA per carry in the 98th percentile and his explosive-run rate in the 97th, top-end quarterback speed on designed runs and scrambles. As a passer he's been ordinary: an 18th-percentile EPA per dropback and an 11th-percentile average depth of target -- a lot of short, safe throws. Draft evaluators (The Draft Network) credit "prototypical" arm talent and high-velocity throws into tight windows, but flag that he "missed too many shots downfield" and can "lock onto his primary read" rather than progress -- best improvising, a work in progress within structure. The frame is the whole career: the tools are real, the in-rhythm passing is the unfinished part.
Our classifier reads him the same way: extends plays with his feet until something opens up.
2026 Outlook
UCLA
2026 Depth chart
Returning starter
Quarterback · UCLA · editorial
Returning around him
- 57% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
- Transfer portal: +14 net (43 in / 29 out)
2026 Award watch
- Davey O'Brien
- Heisman Watch
UCLA · Last season: 3-9 · Talent rank #25 · 2026 recruiting class #62
DNA match
Player DNA
Scrambler
Makes plays with feet when the pocket collapses. Efficiency still on the rise.
QB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Kurtis Rourke’s 2021 season.
62%match
NFL Rd 7
Matches Kurtis on
Yards / attempt
INT rate
Height
Differs from Kurtis on
Recruiting rating (higher)
Class year (lower)
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Davis Mills’s path through Stanford.
79%match
NFL Rd 3 · Pk 3
Matches Davis on
Recruiting rating
Yards per attempt
Completion %
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Doug Brumfield's junior season at UNLV (2022).
52%match
All-Mountain West
Differs from Doug on
Recruiting rating (higher)
Class year (lower)
EPA / dropback (adj) (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Nico Iamaleava
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peak #140
Peaked at #140 this season.
Background
Career Highlights • 2024 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Finalist • 2024 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Semifinalist • 2024 Citrus Bowl MVP • Associated Press National Player of the Week (Oct. 6, 2025) • Maxwell Award Player of the Week (Oct. 7, 2025) • Walter Camp National F...
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology