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Nico Iamaleava should already be on transfer watch due to his UCLA nightmare

Who would have ever thought this would be the case for Nico?
ByBraulio Perez|
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) warms up before the game against the New Mexico Lobos at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) warms up before the game against the New Mexico Lobos at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The worst decision that Nico Iamaleava could have possibly made is now somehow getting worse for him. The UCLA Bruins were expected to take a major step forward this season with Nico running the offense, but after Saturday's 35-10 loss to New Mexico, the Bruins fell to 0-3.

Since then, head coach Deshaun Foster has been fired and now the Bruins are a bigger mess than they were before Iamaleava even got to Los Angeles. What's next for the Bruins? More importantly, what's going to happen with the former Tennessee football signal-caller?

Joey Aguilar has passionate words for Tennessee fans after reflecting on loss to UGA

That's unknown, but already there's plenty of chatter that Iamaleava could end up transferring once again. That wouldn't be a surprise at all. Foster went all-in to get him to UCLA, but he's now out of a job and Iamaleava has no idea who the full-time replacement will be moving forward.

Nico Iamaleava is already on 'transfer watch' after leaving Tennessee football

Iamaleava's camp gave him terrible advice and no one is going to be able to argue with that. He was hoping that the UCLA offense would put him in a better position to improve for when he decides to enter the NFL Draft, but we're less than a month into the season and things could not be going worse.

We hate to compare things, but the opposite has been the case for Joey Aguilar with the Vols. On the other side of the 'QB trade' from the offseason, Aguilar is coming off a five-TD performance against Georgia. Tennessee suffered an overtime loss, but Aguilar showcased to everyone that he's a stud.

Thanks to his brilliant performance, Aguilar has seen his Heisman Trophy odds skyrocket and he has people confident that the Vols can sneak back into the College Football Playoff. Some big wins against Alabama and others will need to be posted later this year for that to happen.

Tennessee remains ranked No. 15 in the country, while Iamaleava surely can't help but think how things would be going for him had he never left Knoxville. Instead of the Bruins being on a hot start, UCLA is looking like one of the worst teams at the Power 4 level in the country. It shouldn't be a surprise at all if Iamaleava decides to be one and done with the Bruins and leave for greener pastures sooner rather than later.

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