Just when Bruins fans thought Nico Iamaleava would get better over the offseason, the updates from spring practice are not painting an encouraging picture. After a troubling 3-9 season and DeShaun Foster’s firing, Iamaleava is trying to build his game again under new head coach Bob Chesney, but his struggles from last season are showing up once again.

Connor David Dullinger, an editor covering the Bruins, has just updated on two interceptions thrown by Nico during practice drills. The first one was by defensive back, Robert Stafford III. One interception is still understandable, but two of them in a single practice raises concerns

The Junior year Stafford is still a veteran with 22 games and five starts. Getting picked off by an experienced defensive back could be explained by a single bad read by the QB. But the second interception came from sophomore linebacker Donavyn Pellot. Even though Pellot boasts playing time in 17 games, he is still a linebacker, and should not be picking off the starting quarterback.

Last year, Nico had two games in which he threw two interceptions with a 63.5% completion percentage. That was mainly because of his lack of sync with the receivers. Even former head coach Foster pointed it out. Now, if the same trend continues, the team might face issues in the 2026 season too.

Overall, in 2025, he threw for 1,928 yards, had 13 touchdown passes, and had 7 interceptions. Now, he is facing the same trouble, raising key questions about his gameplay. But it’s not like he is not making any improvement. Nico is apparently very keen on the feedback he receives, and UCLA’s OC Dean Kennedy himself saw those changes in him during practice.

“His willingness to learn,” Kennedy said. “His willingness to put in work, his notes. Every day he has a page, two pages, and we’re talking about 30 minutes, 45 minutes, double that, and there are two pages. He has it color-coordinated. He goes back and reviews his notes. I tell him after an install, I’ll come back with questions.”

One of the main problems for UCLA was the offensive line. The team knows this and is trying to improve it after the 2025 season. Last season, Nico took a lot of hits because the line did not protect him well, as he got sacked 27 times. The offense struggles to score points, and he often does not get enough time to play comfortably in the pocket.

So, to make sure that doesn’t happen this year Chesney did a lot to help his QB play better. He worked hard to fix the offensive line so the quarterback could get more time and protection. First, he used the transfer portal to bring in new and better players. He added linemen like Riley Robell, Carter Sweazie, and Derek Osman to make the line stronger.

He also hired Chris Smith as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator. This helps the run game as a secondary option on offense, and makes the blocking system clearer and more organized. Then Chesney also brought his full system from James Madison, where his team had a very strong offense that scored more than 37 points per game. So, ultimately for Nico, a couple of interceptions should not deter him from continuing to improve his game.

Nico Iamaleava’s ultimate goal before 2026 season

Along with improving his game, Nico Iamaleava is also working on his body. He is trying to gain more weight to become stronger. He was quite thin when he was in high school, so this has been an ongoing goal for him. Now, he is 6-foot-6 and currently weighs around 218 pounds. He wants to reach 225 pounds before the 2026 season starts.

To make sure that happens, he is eating more and training hard so he can become stronger and handle hits better on the field. Iamaleava explained it further on why he used this spring to develop himself.

“I took a couple hits last year, and it took a toll on my body,” Iamaleava said. “I think just recovering over the offseason and coming in ready to work and getting bigger was the main thing for me this offseason. Hopefully, when I get to the season, I’ll be able to take those hits a little easier.”

Quarterbacks get hit a lot in games, so gaining weight, especially muscle, is something that helps them take those hits and avoid injuries. It makes them stronger and harder to bring down. For example, Josh Allen was not very strong at first, but he worked on his body and added muscle over time. Because of that, he became stronger, harder to tackle, and played much better.

Patrick Mahomes also focused on improving his strength and fitness after his early seasons. Now, it’s Nico Iamaleava’s chance to improve his skills and make sure past mistakes don’t show up on the field.