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Former Vols QB Nico Iamaleava could help UCLA get a big win before he ever sees the field for the Bruins

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Zach Ragan | Last updated May 15, 2025 12:05 PM ET

Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava could help his new team, the UCLA Bruins, get a big win before he even takes the field for a practice.

Iamaleava, who transferred to UCLA earlier this spring after spending the first two seasons of his career at Tennessee, has a close connection to an elite four-star recruit that the Bruins are pursuing.

2026 four-star linebacker Talanoa Ili is one of the most highly coveted defensive recruits in the nation.

Ili, 6-foot-3/215 lbs from Kahuku, HI, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 3 linebacker in the nation and the No. 1 player in the state of Hawaii. He's also rated as the No. 55 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class.

UCLA is battling USC, Oregon, BYU, Oklahoma, Texas, and Notre Dame, among others, for the talented linebacker.

USC and Oregon are believed to be UCLA's biggest competition for Ili.

247Sports' Tom Loy, in fact, recently predicted that USC will win the battle for the four-star linebacker.

But Iamaleava, who is Ili's cousin, could help sway this battle in the Bruins' favor.

An official visit to UCLA was a family reunion for Kahuku (Hawaii) 4⭐️ LB Talanoa Ili, whose cousins are new Bruins QBs Nico & Madden Iamaleava & fellow visitor Malaki Soliai-Tui.

“To play against the best alongside my cousins would be a ton of fun.”

: https://t.co/vVOhHVY2k8 pic.twitter.com/KXoKFaQzFp
— Tracy McDannald (@Tracy_McDannald) May 14, 2025

From Rivals.com: A Mother’s Day breakfast at UCLA really stood out to Ili and his family and was the “home run” moment of his time in Westwood as the Bruins and USC continue to battle it out for the four-star linebacker from Kahuku, Hawaii.

It’s big that Ili is related to Nico and Madden Iamaleava and got to do the visit with his cousin Malaki Soliai-Tui as the family feel at UCLA was clear.

There will obviously be other factors that go into Ili's decision, but the presence of Nico (and his younger brother, Madden) at UCLA should certainly help the Bruins' chances to win this intense recruiting battle.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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