Weeks before UCLA would confirm that the Vols’ big hope was joining them, Nico Iamaleava had gone AWOL. Neither the players nor the coaches could reach him after Tennessee had lost the first round of college football playoffs. Sources close to him reasoned that the QB needed a “mental break” after the 42-17 defeat. But fans haven’t forgotten what followed– absence in practice, transfer portal talks, and an eventual confirmation.

Today, the Iamaleava family felt the heat when the sting of betrayal came disguised as a mockery after the Bruins’ third straight defeat. The parody page “No3” —a cheap copycat of recruiting giant On3, made a snide comment on X. “Following Friday’s loss to the Lobos, UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava convened a team meeting to announce he will be stepping away from football temporarily to focus on his mental well-being,” the post read (Parody news). It was a plain jibe at Nico, referring back to the ‘mental well-being’ reason behind his absence in April

For weeks and months, No3 has been tweeting clown emojis, memes, and daily reminders of UCLA’s goose egg in the win column. But when things went too far, Nic Iamaleava, the quarterback’s father, slid into their DMs with a sharp warning. “I’ve seen you mention my son’s name multiple times. Keep our names out of your mouth. My son is doing just fine at UCLA,” he wrote.

The response? Pure internet chaos. No3 screenshotted the DM and blasted it back onto the timeline with the caption: “It was only a matter of time… Someone get papa Nico out of my DMs.” It indeed was only a matter of time.

The hostile fan environment hasn’t cooled since Nico bolted Knoxville in April. He was supposed to be the chosen one, the five-star who’d bring playoff football to Rocky Top. Instead, when he chose to headline the Rose Bowl, all for money, reportedly, outrage followed. Not only did media houses tag him ‘greedy,’ ‘greedy,’ and ‘a QB not about the team,’ but angry fans followed in hoards. Even as Tennessee faced Georgia for Game 1 on Saturday night, chants of “Nico sucks!” rained down so loud they drowned out the ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast.

Nic Iamaleava has overseen his son’s journey far too well and far too long to let the hatred slide.

It was back in 2019, around Nico’s sophomore year at Long Beach Polytechnic High School when a coach from Warren High School approached him to say that his son “was going to be special.” Before the next season, Papa Iamaleava was touring the new high school, ensuring a starting quarterback job for his son. Nico went on to throw for 1,726 yards and 25 touchdowns, while also rushing for six touchdowns as a senior before being rated as one of the top players in his class of 2023.

Nic is called the ‘alpha’ of the Iamaleavas for a reason. He has groomed two of his kids to become volleyball standouts in high school and one to be a star quarterback. His reported involvement in Nico’s $4 million NIL negotiations is no secret either, stemming all the fan bitterness. Whatever may be the truth behind that, there’s no taking away the fact that Nic has meant business when it comes to his kids. Rightfully so. However, calling his son’s season ‘fine’ may be too strong of a word to describe how things are cooking in Westwood.

Nico Iamaleava finds no solace in his transfer

In the game that prompted No3’s trolling, Nico’s stat line (22-of-34, 235 yards, one TD, one pick) looks decent on paper, but the offense died after halftime. Six second-half possessions, two punts, one turnover on downs, one interception, and a whole lot of nothing else. The UCLA was beaten down 35-10 by New Mexico, a game where more than 2 touchdowns favored them.

UCLA’s offense has low-balling against Utah, UNLV, and now New Mexico, while the defense has been gashed for 30-plus in all 3 games. At this rate, the Bruins are praying to scrape together four wins. Meanwhile, No. 15 ranked Tennessee nearly shocked the college football world.

The Vols were one missed kick away from drowning Georgia in Neyland Stadium, losing 44-41 in OT. Even in defeat, they looked like a top-10 squad. The Vols may have lost, but Joey Aguilar—ironically the QB who spent spring at UCLA—looked every bit the answer. Aguilar tossed for 371 yards and four touchdowns against the Bulldogs, just one week after torching ETSU with a 72-17 demolition. That 72 points? Tennessee’s most in a game since 1929.

Tennessee fans haven’t forgotten April. They watched Nico walk out for a bag, and now they’re watching Aguilar sling bombs without overthrowing or running out of bounds. By the looks of it, this isn’t cooling off anytime soon. If Tennessee keeps stacking wins and UCLA keeps tripping over itself, the chants will get louder, the memes nastier, and Papa Nico’s DMs even more cluttered. For the Volunteers, it’s personal. And for UCLA, it’s painful. For Nico? It’s a reminder that sometimes, greener pastures turn into quicksand.