Former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is expected to miss the remainder of UCLA's season with a knee injury, according to multiple reports on Oct. 12.
Iamaleava suffered the injury during the second quarter of the Bruins' win at Oregon on Oct. 10. He jogged off and reentered one play later but immediately threw an interception on the team's final play of the first half. He did not return.
The Bruins won 17-15 and improved to 5-0 in coach Bob Chesney's first season. Chesney said on Oct. 12 that Iamaleava hasn't officially been ruled out for the remainder of the season but there is “serious concern at this moment.“
In five starts this season, Iamaleava had 982 passing yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He also had 144 rushing yards and a rushing score.
Nico Iamaleava spent two seasons with Tennessee before leaving for UCLA
Iamaleava enrolled at Tennessee as a five-star recruit and redshirted in 2023 behind starter Joe Milton. He then started all 13 games in 2024 as the Vols made the College Football Playoff.
In his UT career, Iamaleava completed 241 of 379 passes for 2,930 yards with 21 touchdowns and five interceptions.
But his time at Tennessee ended abruptly in spring 2025 when Vols coach Josh Heupel revealed that Iamaleava was no longer part of the team before the spring game. Amid an apparent NIL dispute, Iamaleava skipped the Vols' final spring practice. It was reported Iamaleava was seeking an increase in NIL pay from his previous deal that reportedly paid him more than $2 million per year.
He then entered the transfer portal and landed at UCLA. In his first season there, the Bruins went 3-9 and Iamaleava threw for 1,928 yards and 13 touchdowns with seven interceptions in 11 games. He came back for Chesney's first season and was considered a potential top-three-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft after the team's hot start, but he will now likely be sidelined for the rest of 2026.
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: emmett.siegel@knoxnews.com; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Nico Iamaleava injury update, former Tennessee QB out for season with knee injury
