USC could face Nico Iamaleava this fall

On Wednesday, we wrote here at Trojans Wire that USC should not pursue Tennessee transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Later in the day, it was reported that Iamaleava will indeed be headed to Los Angeles to play college football this fall—but not for the Trojans.According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic and Fox Sports, Iamaleava is set to transfer to UCLA.

If indeed true, that means Iamaleava will visit the Coliseum this fall when the Bruins face the Trojans there on November 29.Iamaleava is from Southern California originally, so heading to UCLA marks a homecoming of sorts for him. With UCLA entering the 2025 season with a major question mark at quarterback following the graduation of Ethan Garbers, the move also makes sense from a football standpoint.



From an NIL perspective, however, it raises a lot more questions. UCLA is not the type of program that typically involves itself in NIL bidding wars, so the fact that Iamalevae—who left Tennessee over a rather public NIL dispute—chose them is but perplexing on that front.Here is what UCLA Wirehad to say about the move:“Iamaleava has been a hot topic this week after he became the first college player in the NIL era to hold out in efforts to get a new NIL deal.

It’s unlikely that this is how Iamaleava envisioned it, becoming the new target for the anti-NIL crowd while Tennessee refused to meet his demands. There’s little certainty for UCLA fans at this point. Neither Iamaleava nor the Bruins have confirmed Cowherd’s report.

Even if the Downey, California, native suits up for UCLA, it’s quite possible he jumps back into the transfer portal following the season, leaving UCLA to find another solution at quarterback.”Regardless of how things play out, USC fans seem very content to let Iamaleava be their crosstown rival’s headache, rather than their own.This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: High-profile transfer QB Nico Iamalevae is close to a deal with UCLA.