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UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster praised Nico Iamaleava in a way that every Tennessee Vol fan can appreciate

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Craig Smith | Last updated Jul 24, 2025 7:38 PM ET

There's no love lost between the Tennessee Vols and their fans and their former starting quarterback Nico Iamalaeava.

The Vols' former starting signal caller left a sour taste in UT fans' mouths with the sudden way he ended his time with the Tennessee program back in April. After missing practice and ghosting his teammates and coaches, the parties reached a breaking point, which was confirmed by Josh Heupel after a Nico-less spring game.

Iamaleava ultimately entered the transfer portal, with the source of that being clouded by conflicting reports. Iamaleava's NIL deal was chief among those rumors, with Iamaleava's camp said to have been seeking a significant increase. That never came, and Iamaleava ended up transferring to his native Southern California and joining the UCLA Bruins.

UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster spoke at the Big Ten media days on Thursday, and the topic of Nico came to the forefront, particularly on a question regarding the leadership he brings to the Bruins.

Foster's answer is one that would be hard for Vol fans to deny in one respect.

"The arm strength is something you see from just watching him play at all, but he's just a talent, and it's not anything I saw him do last season. It's more of what I've seen him do all the way up. Him being a local quarterback, I've seen him play a few times, and he's played with a lot of players on our team, so there's a lot of familiarity there.

"And we're just excited to have a playoff quarterback. Somebody that was able to lead his team to the playoffs. They might not have gotten the outcome that they wanted, but he still was able to play, and he showed how tough he was in that game. Being able to come back home and being comfortable in a familiar environment, I think the sky is the limit. We're excited about this."

Tennessee fans will argue to varying degree about Iamaleava's struggles during the 2024 season, and they're hard to argue with in some respects. The Vols' passing game, particularly during SEC play, was a struggle, and it took late surges behind a running game paced by Dylan Sampson and a smothering defense to muscle out a handful of key wins.

However, Iamaleava's toughness in the Vols' playoff loss to Ohio State was undeniable. Nico took a beating, with his helmet cracking from the extreme cold and hard hits, but he kept on fighting even when the result was in doubt, and it's something that even the strongest critic of Iamaleava would have to acknowledge and respect.

We'll see what 2025 brings for both Tennessee and Nico Iamaleava, but there's no doubt that when it comes to grit, the ex-UT signal caller doesn't lack for it.

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

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