Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) throws during the second half of the College Football Playoff first round game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Dec. 22, 2024. Ohio State won 42-17. Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Report: Iamaleava's Move to UCLA Poses 'Burning Question'

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated May 19, 2025 10:03 PM ET

College football might just be in store for the most exciting season it has had in a long time.

There were a lot of moves that shook up the world of college football, including quarterback Nico Iamaleava's transferring to UCLA. His situation with Tennessee, of course, headlined the sport for weeks, and with his move to Westwood, many eyes will be on both him and his former program, Tennessee, as fans will be eager to see how each one survives without the other.

CBS Sports' Chip Patterson included Iamaleava and Tennessee as part of his list of "burning questions" for the 2025 season, asking "Who will win the Nico-Tennessee breakup?"

"Josh Heupel and Tennessee moved on from quarterback Nico Iamaleava, stating that no one is bigger than the 'Power T' in the wake of one of the most publicly discussed 'holdouts' of the modern NIL era," Patterson wrote. "Iamaleava hit the transfer portal, immediately becoming the highest-rated player of the winter or spring portal windows, and he eventually landed at UCLA.

"Tennessee supplemented the loss in the quarterback room by adding former Appalachian State and spring-time UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar, who in being pushed out by Nico's arrival now becomes the 'team-first' character in the story of Tennessee's season for many Vols fans.

"Just like any high-profile breakup, we will be judging how Tennessee is fairing without Nico and whether the quarterback is finding success without the Vols at nearly every turn. If Nico can find production that matches his potential at UCLA, then he's been able to bounce back from the drama and retain his status as a certified pro prospect.

"But if Tennessee is again an SEC and CFP contender, even without the well-compensated quarterback, then the Vols will claim victory in the breakup."

The big knock against UCLA has been the fact that it doesn't necessarily have high-quality receivers for Iamaleava to throw the ball to. But that shouldn't matter when you have a quarterback of Iamaleava's talent.

And if the Bruins can find success on the ground with an improved offensive line, their offense could take a major leap.

Tennessee is coming off a College Football Playoff appearance while UCLA fell short of making a bowl game in its first year in the Big Ten. Iamaleava has a tough task ahead of him, but he was able to do it before in perhaps the second-most competitive conference.