Nico Iamaleava Fires Off Bold Claim After Miserable UCLA Debut

Few players have been more widely criticized than UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava in recent months, considering he left a far better football program in Tennessee to take less NIL money from UCLA.

Taking that into consideration, Iamaleava who has also been viewed as a legitimate 2026 NFL Draft prospect is under a monumental amount of pressure in 2025, and he didn't exactly get off to a great start.

More news: Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza Raises Red Flags After Top NFL Pick Prediction The 20-year-old went 11-for-22 with 136 yards, a touchdown and an interception in UCLA's embarrassing 43-10 season-opening loss to Utah over the weekend.

To make matters worse, new Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar looked great in the Volunteers' Week 1 win.

But Iamaleava is refusing to allow his dud of a debut performance to adversely affect him, and he dropped a bold claim following the defeat.

"Everything we want is still ahead of us.

It's Week 1," Iamaleava said, via Paolo Uggetti .

"Only way is up from here." PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 30: Nico Iamaleava #9 of the UCLA Bruins passes the ball during the first half of a game against the Utah Utes at Rose Bowl Stadium on August 30, 2025 in...

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 30: Nico Iamaleava #9 of the UCLA Bruins passes the ball during the first half of a game against the Utah Utes at Rose Bowl Stadium on August 30, 2025 in Pasadena, California.

(Photo by Sean M.

Haffey/Getty Images) More Getty Images Perhaps, but it's hard to ignore just how bad the Bruins looked against Utah.

It's also completely fair to wonder whether or not they will fare any better against UNLV who is already 2-0 this Saturday.

It also doesn't help that UCLA plays in the rugged Big Ten and has three ranked opponents on its schedule.

Iamaleava spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Tennessee, most recently throwing for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 63.8 percent of his passes while leading the Volunteers to a College Football Playoff berth in 2024.

Additionally, he rushed for 358 yards and three scores.

But then, Iamaleava decided to depart Knoxville in favor of a school that has much less of a history on the gridiron and is far more known for its basketball acumen.

More news: North Carolina's Bill Belichick Lands Wild Deion Sanders Comparison It was a strange decision on the part of the 6-foot-6, 220-pound signal-caller, but maybe he will be vindicated in the end.

Things certainly aren't looking so great thus far, though.

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