Nico Iamaleava’s first season at UCLA may already be over.
CBS reported that the former Tennessee quarterback is expected to miss the rest of the year after suffering a knee injury in UCLA’s win over Oregon on Saturday. The setback lands hard for both Iamaleava and a Bruins team that has surged into the national picture under Bob Chesney in his first season at the helm.
UCLA is 5-0 overall and 3-0 in Big Ten play, with the Oregon upset helping push the Bruins up to No. 12 in the latest AP Poll. Iamaleava was a central reason for that turnaround, even with his uneven play through the opening stretch of the season.
Before the injury, he had completed 62.1% of his passes for 982 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He also added 144 rushing yards and a score.
That production was enough to get the attention of NFL evaluators. Matt Zenitz reported that some front offices had started viewing Iamaleava as a potential top-three-round draft pick.
UCLA standout QB Nico Iamaleava is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury he suffered during the Bruins’ win over Oregon on Saturday, sources tell @CBSSports.
An unfortunate development for No. 12 UCLA and for Iamaleava, who had been brought up by multiple NFL front office staffers recently as an ascending top three round draft prospect.
- Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) October 12, 2026
His 2026 numbers came after a productive 2025 season at UCLA, when he completed 64.4% of his passes for 1,928 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. That was the year after he transferred out of Tennessee in the spring window.
The move set off a quarterback change in Knoxville. Tennessee replaced Iamaleava by bringing in UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar, and Aguilar responded with 3,565 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for the Vols.
Iamaleava had been Tennessee’s full-time starter during the 2024 College Football Playoff run before departing. That season, he threw for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. Tennessee’s offense had its struggles, but the Vols still got a big year from Dylan Sampson and fielded one of the best defenses in the country.
Iamaleava originally arrived at Tennessee in 2023 as a five-star freshman. He spent the regular season behind Joe Milton III before making his first career start in a 35-0 Citrus Bowl win over Iowa.
He now has one year of college eligibility left if he decides to return.
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