Nico Iamaleava makes a UCLA decision that Tennessee fans were not expecting

We're not trying to throw shade at Nico Iamaleava here, but it's safe to say his decision to leave Tennessee to play for the UCLA Bruins backfired. The Bruins went 3-9 on the season and it was a year to forget for Nico in the Big Ten.

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With the Bruins firing head coach DeShaun Foster early in the season, there was speculation that Iamaleava would once again decide to pack his bags and enter the transfer portal. Since then, however, Bob Chesney has been hired and he's injected some excitement into the program. So much, it looks like Iamaleava isn't going anywhere, as the former Tennessee quarterback has agreed to a new deal with the Bruins:

UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava has 're-signed' with the Bruins for next season

When Iamaleava first made the move from Knoxville back to Los Angeles, he said money didn't have anything to do with his call. Instead, it was all about him heading back west so that he'd be able to play ball closer to his family and friends.

The news of his departure stunned everyone in Tennessee, as the former 5-star prospect had just helped power the Vols and Josh Heupel to the program's first College Football Playoff berth. With Iamaleava leaving, it opened the door for veteran QB Joey Aguilar to take over the offense.

Aguilar wasted no time in winning over the fanbase, throwing the ball all over the field from start to finish in 2025. Aguilar is in the middle of a legal push to get an extra year of eligibility with Tennessee, but it's unknown if good news is going to come in for him or not.

If Aguilar doesn't return, the expectation is that Heupel and the Vols will look to add an experienced QB through the portal this winter. As for Iamaleava, that's not something on his radar this year, as he'll be returning to the UCLA campus for his second season with the Bruins. A lot of us expected him to bolt on UCLA too, but that's not how things are going to play out.