Iamaleava 'Better' Be That Guy, Analyst Says

College football analysts feel very strongly about college football’s most prized transfer acquisition, Nico Iamaleava.

On CBS Sports, when discussing the most impactful transfers heading into the 2025 season, Iamaleava was at the top of that list. Host Chris Hassel and analyst Chip Patterson posed the thought that Iamaleava was going to have a very impactful season to former player Bryant McFadden:

“He better. He better. He better. In terms of pressure on quarterbacks, there’s a lot of pressure on Nico because of the situation he decided to leave in Knoxville. Going back to his first start in a bowl game, [he] didn’t look like a freshman, didn’t look like a player who lacked experience. The offense catered to his skillset.”

He continued:

“UCLA wasn’t a good team at all on either side of the football, especially offensively… because if he goes out west, I understand he’s going home. But if it doesn’t work out on the football field, he’s going to have the ‘what if?’ mindset.

“‘What if I stayed?’ With Coach Heupel, and that offense. ‘What if I stayed?’ Making plays against SEC defenses.”

McFadden makes an interesting point. Iamaleava didn’t look out of place against SEC programs — in fact, he thrived against them. He threw for 19 touchdowns with only five interceptions, with just one coming in the final six weeks of the 2024 season.

He was a bit harsh toward UCLA, given the struggles the Bruins went through, but it’s a bit egregious to call out a program that was in transition.

Anytime a new coach comes into a program like DeShaun Foster did, you immediately start at a disadvantage. Players transfer out, you’re trying to fill in the spots that were left behind — it’s full-on scramble mode.

Look at how Alabama played after Nick Saban retired. It had a solid season, but nowhere near the Bama standard.

When Deion Sanders took over at Colorado, the Buffaloes came in with a lot of hype and even started the season on a tear, winning the first three games. Then they lost seven out of their final eight.

Foster has quietly been building a legitimate foundation, and with Iamaleava at the helm, it only jumpstarts what’s been brewing.

The Bruins’ football program will always be the little brother to basketball, but that doesn’t mean greatness isn’t in the football program’s future.

Iamaleava has a chance to shut down the doubters and bet on himself. What better place to do it than near your home?