“My journey at UT has come to an end. This decision was incredibly difficult, and truthfully, not something I expected to make this soon.” This was nothing short of a bombshell that former Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava threw as he announced his departure from Tennessee this spring. Was it because Tennessee reportedly refused to pay him $4 million? Or did something else play out behind the scenes? It’s hard to pinpoint anything conclusively. But now that he has joined UCLA, it seems a new mountain of difficulties awaits him.

Tennessee had its problems last year, ranging from a weak run game to QB protection issues. But what mattered was that they made it to the playoffs for the first time in their history. It was a feat credited to both Josh Heupel and Nico Iamaleava, and it was expected that UT would be taking a step up in the 2025 season with Nico. But now at UCLA, the same promise has convoluted into a complex cobweb of hurdles for Nico.

For starters, the NIL pay that Nico was expecting at Tennessee didn’t pan out with UCLA as he moved closer to home. But significantly less pay isn’t the only issue. The team finds itself managing to detract from the ghosts of a 5-7 season in 2024 and an offense that was ranked 95th nationally. Moreover, with Nico joining late after spring games ended, there’s also the concern about “team chemistry,” as Dany Kanell pinpoints.

Dany Kanell, who is a prominent analyst for CBS Sports, talked about some of the issues that Nico might face despite his quality. “You know, and really you don’t really develop the best chemistry and the best trust in your teammates until you all truly go to battle together. Until the regular season starts and you’re in that huddle and the players are looking at you on how to respond…” said Kanell on a 25th July podcast episode of CBS Sports. Moreover, for Kanell, the chemistry issues may take some time to alleviate.

“I think he’s a good kid. I think he’s going through that process now, but ultimately he’s not fully going to develop the trust and chemistry with his teammates until the regular season gets here,” concluded Kanell. The concerns are undoubtedly well-founded, since UCLA has just hired a new OC, Tino Sunseri, who brings a whole offense, which Nico would have to master. Then there are O-line issues, too.

UCLA has installed some of the new players in the offensive line, including Courtland Ford from Kentucky and Julian Armella from FSU. Apart from them, Eugene Brooks also comes in from Oklahoma at the left guard position, and K.D. Arnold at right tackle. Undoubtedly, the O-line looks revamped, but the chemistry issues may persist, and that might be the reason why Nico is doing an extensive ‘bonding exercise,’ as the QB said at Big 10 Media Days.

“I think taking them boys out to eat, taking them boys to go bowling, anything like that. Just to strengthen our bond. And we got fall camp coming around the corner. So it’ll be good for a lot of guys that we don’t know each other well for us to bond well in the hotel. And get ready for the season,” said Nico at Big 10 Media Days when asked, “How do you feel about the synergy with your teammates?” These bonding sessions and the practice that the QB is putting in might be the reason why he has promised something quite big planned for the head coach, DeShaun Foster, now.

Nico Iamaleava is promising championship glory to DeShaun Foster

As a redshirt freshman with a relative lack of starting experience coming into the 2024 season, Nico did exceed expectations. Not only did the QB pass for 2,616 yards for 19 TDs, but he also proved reliable in the run game, accumulating 358 yards. So, one thing is clear: Nico has the quality, and with the right guidance and an offense tailored to his dual-threat ability, he can lead UCLA to at least an 8- or 9-win season this year. But that’s not the only goal; Nico is planning long-term now.

“The main thing for me is to bring a championship culture back to Westwood,” Iamaleava said on Thursday. “I hate losing. I’m a big-time winner. I want to win games. That’s our main thing—our main goals for this year are to bring championships back to Westwood,” said Nico Iamaleava. Moreover, he also dismissed rumors of being financially motivated in making the UT exit.

“My decision to leave was extremely hard. Family was the biggest thing to me. A lot of things about financial stuff—it was never that. It was me getting back home, closer to my family,” concluded Nico. Iamaleava, a native of Long Beach, California, has moved close to home. He grew up just 30 miles from the campus. This proximity will surely help, and we hope that Nico finds his rhythm and finally leads UCLA back to its winning self.