Nico Iamaleava’s first year at UCLA was turbulent, to say the least. Even then, the former five-star recruit showed glimpses of his brilliance. Heading into the 2026 season, the Bruins’ QB1 wants the team to limit mistakes, and it starts with the fundamentals.

“The thing we’re going for is to be as clean as we can,” Nico said after a spring practice. “It was a lot of pre-snap penalties last year for us that would set us back into situations that we didn’t want to be in. I think just operating as clean as we can and keeping that same pace as we go.”

The 2025 season saw the Bruins become one of the most undisciplined teams in college football. In their first three games against Utah, UNLV, and New Mexico, they were penalized 30 times for 275 yards. Particularly in the games against UNLV and Mexico, they committed 14 penalties for 129 yards and 13 penalties for 116 yards, respectively, with the offensive line being the culprit in most cases.

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Iamaleava’s point was just one of the few negatives the Bruins struggled with in 2025. The program had many inconsistencies, which led to a 3-9 record. After kicking off the season with three consecutive losses, head coach DeShaun Foster was fired and replaced by interim coach Tim Skipper. Following another loss, they went on a three-match winning streak. But they soon returned to old ways after a 56-6 blowout against the national champions before ending with a five-game losing streak.

It was so bad for the Bruins that even the brilliant Nico Iamaleava struggled to deliver, despite joining them after a laudable season with the Tennessee Volunteers, where he contributed to the team’s 10-3 record and College Football Playoff appearance by throwing for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns in 13 games. Unfortunately, with the Bruins, he threw for 1,928 yards, 13 touchdowns, and seven interceptions and was the team’s leading rusher with 505 yards.

Beyond the challenges of Iamaleava’s debut season, however, the Bruins are fighting an old battle. They have not had a five-win season since they joined the Big Ten, nor have they had a double-digit winning season since 2014. Notwithstanding, there are signs of an imminent change for the better in 2026, with the appointment of Bob Chesney, who is just coming off a 12-2 season and a playoff appearance with James Maddison.

Iamalaeva expects a better 2026 with Bob Chesney. 

For several reasons, Iamaleava is optimistic for a more improved Bruins team in 2026. Along with the program having a new coach, he feels more settled after his first spring practice with the team, as his transfer from the Vols happened in April.

“It’s a lot of stuff that we’re installing,” Iamaleava said. “Last year, when I got in, everything was fast-forwarded for me. I went into fall camp still learning the offense. Being able to come in and get a whole spring with the guys, it’s been great bonding with them.

“He was very excited to see me, I was very excited to see him,” Iamaleava said about how he felt with the appointment of the new coach. “We just got to chop it up about life and how the past year went.”

Iamaleava has so much belief that Chesney’s discipline, his coaching style, and his 132-52 career record will only get better at UCLA. And as he builds his physicality, he hopes to give the new coach his very best in 2026.