UCLA’s quarterback picture is clearer at the top than it is behind it.
Nico Iamaleava is locked in as the Bruins’ starter, and that part of the conversation hasn’t really moved. He was the guy in June, and he’s expected to be the guy in August. The real competition in Westwood is happening one spot down the depth chart, where Madden Iamaleava is battling Cal Poly junior transfer Ty Dieffenbach for the backup job.
That fight appears to be very much alive. According to 247Sports, Dieffenbach has been getting work with the second team during team periods, and Bob Chesney is giving both quarterbacks a legitimate shot to earn the role. Iamaleava and Dieffenbach have been alternating, with each taking snaps with both the second and third groups.
For now, there’s no sign the Bruins are close to settling it. When Chesney was asked whether there had been any clarity in the backup race, he kept the answer plain:
"No, not at all. Nope.
We're just continuing to ride. We're not making any decisions like that just yet.
We're just trying to get reps and get it all on film."
Dieffenbach is the less familiar name to most UCLA fans, but his path to Westwood has been an active one. He spent his first two college seasons at Pitt without seeing game action, then transferred to Cal Poly.
Last season for the Mustangs, he started 11 games and completed 92 of 162 passes for 1,305 yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also added four rushing touchdowns and 321 rushing yards.
That production has him in the mix for what would be a big step up in responsibility as a backup in the Big Ten Conference.
Madden Iamaleava arrived at UCLA after transferring from Arkansas before the start of the Bruins’ 2025 fall camp. He played in one game last season, but he has not yet completed a pass in a college football game.
So while Nico Iamaleava’s role is settled, the Bruins’ QB2 battle is still very much open, and it sounds like it could stay that way for a while.
In Other News...
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For a program that has too often struggled to get much going on the ground, the chance to finally build a reliable rushing attack matters well beyond one position battle. Chesney has made it plain that surviving the season at running back takes more than one or two capable options, and UCLAs challenge now is turning that depth into something durable enough to hold up when injuries, fatigue and the grind of the schedule set in. [Read more 🡒]