What will Nico Iamaleava decide to do with his future?

Nico Iamaleava came to the Bruins last offseason as a prized portal addition. It was a surprising twist that Deshaun Foster was able to land him. Considering he was fresh off leading Tennessee to the College Football Playoff and looking for NIL deals. UCLA has not been known to be large players in the NIL game compared to other Big Ten and SEC schools. This brought tremendous hope that UCLA was ready to return and be a winning program in Foster’s second year.

The hope quickly faded away as UCLA jumped out of the gates 0-3 including embarrassing losses to UNLV and New Mexico. This led to Foster being let go just 15 games into his coaching career and a lot of uncertainty around the program. Hope has been renewed with the hiring of Bob Chesney. But what will Iamaleava ultimately decide to do with his future? Chesney is not the coach that brought him in and a lot of change figures to be coming for the entire UCLA team in terms of coaches and players.

It is not known whether Chesney would want Iamaleava as his QB either. He had an up and down season for the 3-9 Bruins this year. But he was dealt a tough hand of cards. Multiple play callers, many injuries on the offensive line, injuries to himself. He played all the way out until the end and didn’t quit on the team. So, respect is given to him for that for even playing in the USC game with nothing really to gain from it. Showing that he can be a team guy and rally his teammates in a tough time of need. The talent is clearly there for him in the right situation.

Iamaleava currently has three options on the table. Hit the transfer portal, enter the NFL Draft, or stay at UCLA. After a down season you’d think he would stay out of the NFL Draft, but it isn’t as deep of a class as usual. But he does have the opportunity to play elsewhere if he feels he can up his stock for 2027. It’s hard to believe everything aligns in the way that he stays with UCLA. So, the portal might be the best option for him. Ultimately showing his decision to play in the USC game helped show he will lay it on the line and be a team guy.