How Does UCLA's Quarterback Room Look Behind Nico Iamaleava

If all works out the way it should, Nico Iamaleava should be in Westwood for at least another year after this season.

But once the former five-star recruit is ready to blossom into an NFL draftee, what does UCLA’s quarterback situation look like? It’s quite a crowded room, with potential for even more.

Currently, the backup is slated to be Luke Duncan, the towering redshirt sophomore who was listed as a three-star recruit for the Bruins.

There’s not much of a book on him, since we haven’t seen him take the field at all. But in his 2022 recruiting profile, 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst Greg Biggins thought the only thing holding Duncan back was his consistency.

“The theme for Duncan is consistency. He had some great throws where you saw the natural arm talent and he looks like one of the top pocket passers in the region,” Biggins said. “We want to see him continue to improve mobility and his ability to make throws outside the pocket, but there’s some definite upside with him for sure.”

By seniority, Duncan is the main backup, but it’s not his job to lose.

The Bruins brought in redshirt sophomore Pierce Clarkson, a former four-star who spent time at Louisville, transferred to Ole Miss for about five months, only to land at UCLA.

With Clarkson, you have a dual threat who showed in high school that he had the accuracy to be dominant through the air.

When he saw the field in college, it was only in garbage time. His first season at Louisville, he was the fifth-string quarterback, and in his sophomore year, he was bumped up to third string behind Tyler Shough, a second-round quarterback now with the New Orleans Saints.

Clearly, Clarkson seeks an opportunity to play immediately after spending two seasons warming the bench. And he didn’t see a path to playing in Oxford, so now his attention shifted to Westwood. His prospect status also dropped from a four-star to a low three. (And with the news of Oscar Rios, he may be inclined to move to a lower-tier school that desperately needs a starting quarterback.)

Finally, the Bruins brought in Nico’s brother, quarterback Madden Iamaleava, who initially committed to and enrolled at the University of Arkansas in January of this year.

But once Nico came to Westwood, Madden quickly followed.

Madden was a four-star recruit, the 20th-best quarterback in the nation, and it seemed like he had a decent path ahead of him to get some burn in Fayetteville.

But since both Nico and Madden played together in high school, it made sense to bring the brothers back.

In January 2024, Biggins made an interesting analysis that makes Madden look more enticing than just being a nepotism signing:

“He has always had a strong arm but has made a nice jump in poise, accuracy and maturity. He shows dual-threat ability and although he doesn’t run a ton, he has very good pocket mobility and can extend plays. He’s a tough kid, highly competitive and as the game continues to slow down for him, he’ll make another big jump.”

It’s certainly enticing for DeShaun Foster and crew to make Westwood the house that Iamaleava built.

Nico is going to be the guy. He’s already proven it at the SEC level, and don’t be surprised if he lights it up in the Big Ten.

But should there be a hiccup, like an injury, it seems like the Bruins are in decent shape moving forward.